


The One You Feed

by zeldanerdster



Category: Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Personal Growth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22533553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeldanerdster/pseuds/zeldanerdster
Summary: This work follows the "Lone Wolf" path immediately after events unfold at he border. Following that, it will chronicle Daniel's experiences for as far as they take him in an effort to reconcile the various open-ended resolutions of Life is Strange 2.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 38





	1. Enter: Two Wolves

The truck slowed to a crawl as Daniel clambered into the driver's side where Sean lie. His limp hand lay over the wound where an errant bullet pierced his neck and ended his part in the wolf brothers' tale. The last remaining Diaz rocked back and forth, clutching his brother's chest and burying his face in his sleeve. He wailed. It was all he could do. It was monstrous what the brother, who he had looked up to and relied on to keep him safe, had become.The look of panic on Sean's face-the absolute inability to comprehend what was happening; Daniel could feel it practically radiating off of his lifeless form and it had him trembling like a live wire. He raised his hand to Sean's face and hesitated briefly. _It’s your turn to rest now_. He lightly brushed Sean's eye closed. _So scared. So helpless. How did that get through? How did YOU let that get though!_ "Oh God..." Daniel moaned as he began to shake violently. He immediately rolled out of the passenger side, the door flinging itself from its hinges. He fell to his knees and covered the crushed gravel of the dirt road with what little he had left in his stomach. When nothing remained, sobs were all he could manage. And then rage. _How could he do this? Couldn't he stay down? You can't expect me to stop them all! What the hell Sean!_ The rage melted into pain. _Who am I to say something like that? I would never have gotten this far on my own. How can I go any further? Oh Sean...Dad...Mom...God please help me._ Faces flashed through his memory. Every person Daniel had interacted with, fought with, had a crush on, hated with his very being-they danced through his mind like a flip-book. He had made all these connections. Interwoven his life with theirs for a brief moment in time, but where were they now? Only one person had stuck around. Only one person made his a priority, and he was slumped over dead in the truck next to him. Daniel’s breathing was fast and shallow, his forehead resting against the ground as his panic and shame reached their apex. He rolled onto his side and stared up at the sharp blue sky. His eyes began to feel heavy under its unforgiving glare and, as he slipped into unconsciousness felt as though he was falling up, leaving his body behind.

********************************************

Daniel awoke with a start and began to panic before a sense of the familiar took over. He looked around at the inside of his blanket fort and wondered what kind of strange dream he just had. It was already beginning to melt away. _I've got to tell Dad about this! Or Sean. Or Lyla. Shoot, anybody!_ He absent-mindedly grabbed his stomach as anxiety shot through him. _Why am I so nervous all of a sudden? Dad’s always happy to see me pop in while he’s in the garage. I didn’t do anything wrong, so he wouldn't be mad. Heck, both me and Sean have been good today. So why do I feel…l don’t know…like this?_ He rose to his feet, trying to shake off this sense that something was off and stepped out of his room but came to a halt outside the door. The house was so quiet. Dad's music wasn't drifting from downstairs. Was he not home? He could have sworn he had heard him not minutes ago. He looked and saw a few dishes in the sink along with the corn syrup from his zombie costume. _Oh yeah! I can't wait to show Sean and Lyla!_ He looked down and saw the high fructose "blood" of his costume stick and smear to the old torn flannel he got from Esteban's rag pile the day before. As children are wont to do, he forgot his troubles for a moment as he was overcome with joy at the idea of sharing his sweet Halloween costume to his older brother. Daniel started to knock, but dread set in. It was like making noise would upset the house. _That’s a stupid thing to think. This is MY house. My home._ He couldn’t shake the feeling, but he figured the old ways were the best ways and so burst into Sean's room, knowing his brother wouldn't risk looking like a jerk in front of Lyla.

"Hey Se..." he trailed off.

The computer was sitting unattended. Sean’s chair was swiveled at an angle as though Sean was trying to look around the corner of his only window. Skype was open, but idle. The red “call ended” with its obligatory time stamp stained the bottom of the page. No one was around. He looked around and saw his brother's sketchbook lying on the bed. _He can't be far. He'd never leave that where I could look at it!_ He reached for it, wondering when Sean had time to fill it out so fully, seeing that the pages were all covered with notes, clippings and sketches. His fingers just touched the rough, canvas surface. He marveled at the stains. The dirt. _Where the heck has he been taking you? The dump?_ Daniel was suddenly concerned. It was as though the room had darkened. _I shouldn’t be here._ What time was it? Daniel looked at each of the clocks and they all flashed impatiently flashed 12:00 as if accusing him of flipping the breaker. _They’ve got to be here somewhere!_ As Daniel grew more observant, his sense of dread grew. Something was wrong. It felt dark even though the sun was still out. How? He began to notice how cold it felt in the room. As if the sun's summer rays couldn't do anything but bounce off the glass. He had to get out. _"Maybe they're...maybe they're outside grilling,_ " he thought to himself wistfully.

"You know they aren't" a voice said from behind him, sounding almost amused with his childish thought.

Daniel jumped and letting out a breathy gasp. He turned to see a woman in a tattered blazer standing in front of his father's bedroom door, pulling the door shut behind her. The woman’s ankle was twisted into an unsightly shape. Blood and dirt were smeared into her side. A bullhorn hung from her hand, which was a ghastly shade of purple as the wrist strap was wrapped and pulled so tightly one expected the appendage might burst or just fall off.

"Who are you?" He said taking a step toward her. He should be scared, but for some reason the only thing he felt as he looked at this disheveled stranger was anger, stoking itself like a coal.

" _STOP_ " she boomed. Her voice a robotic echo amplified through what seemed like a stadium level amp.

He stared at the horn in her hand, never even being raised to her chapped lips. "How did you..." Daniel began before the woman's mouth curled into something that could at best be called a snarl as the bullhorn boomed again. " _FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DANIEL, STOP! WE CAN STILL FIX THIS! PLEASE!_ "

Daniel recoiled and fell backward to the floor. The specter slowly shambled over to him, dragging her ruined ankle behind her. Passing the kitchen, then the hall, then entering Sean’s room, it was as though Daniel was wading through molasses trying to gain his footing. Climbing down onto the floor and leaning over Daniel, she seemed to slither up to his face as Daniel began to hyperventilate. His sweaty hands clutched at the dirty shag carpet. Something...anything. The abhorrent woman he hated despite never having seen her before opened her mouth wide like a snake unhinging its jaw and began to let out a wailing siren. Daniel screamed, but the monster with the badge (M.E. Flor…it said. The rest was illegible) was louder. Putting his hands under himself for some purchase, he shoved backward and felt something. More canvas...a book bag? He grabbed it and swung it forward like Gimli to the head of a wayward orc. " _Daniel, just come out, son. We can get help! Just come out!"_ He had stopped, holding the book bag out like a shield instead of bludgeoning her with it. The woman's voice took a quiet note of desperation. Less of a monster and more of a scared woman now that her phantom bullhorn seems to have died mid-warble. The disembodied voice was completely at odds with the thing in front him. The voice sounded distant, not like she had him pinned to the floor and her face was a foot from his. Of course, the words didn’t even seem to be coming from her mouth so the surprise of it all seemed less and less unbelievable as time went on. A gnarled hand grabbed each of his wrists, locking him and Sean’s bag in place. A third and fourth hand crept around the bag having sprung from the monster's torso. Stringy brown locks descend from behind the bag as if going to peep underneath the bag blocking her view. He thought that if this monster woman that he ( _did_ ) didn't know played her evil peekaboo he would shit his pants and go mad. The end. The room began to shake. The air felt charged. He saw her chin, locked and looking ready to scream again. Instead he heard random nonsense in Spanish. Daniel looked away. _If I see her again, I'll die. I know it. I can't let her take me._ He looked away, struggling against her extra hands that had sprung like a spider’s to hold down his legs.

( _Not enough legs in total, Enano. Maybe a Scorpion?)_

Every one of Sean's possessions rattled like they were in an earthquake.

"Fucking help me!" he plead to nothing and everything. He looked over at Sean's sketchbook, slowly listing over the side of the bed as if in slow motion. The woman who ( _Killed Sean_ ) pinned him to the floor crept her head through the opening beneath the book bag and Daniel's chest. She moved in jarring jerks and spasms. _Don'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlook_. Daniel focused on the book as he became too tired to struggle. Pain he didn't notice when he came-to in his fort seemed to become prominent. His stomach was on fire. The carpet beneath him felt course and irritating. Invisible wounds on his chest because to burn. He could sense the monster ( _FBI agent_ ) rearing its head to finish him with a bite. And so would end his tale. _Just like someone else, eh Enano_?.

"Sean? What is this?" Daniel shouted frantically, jerking this way and that.

The creature lunged forward to bite him. Daniel froze, waiting for the end as he noticed Sean's sketchbook tumble from the bed, finally shaken loose by the perfectly normal earthquake. A perfectly reasonable reaction to having been trapped under the manifestation everything that destroyed his life. In that moment, Daniel remembered. He remembered it all. A three-foot drop from bed to floor and yet it was as if the air the book was gliding through had the same consistently as the syrup drying on his shirt. After all this, he wasn't going to let a monster take him. Sean told him all about how Superwolf fought monsters. _I am Superwolf. This is my story._

"Get off, you fucker!" Daniel jerked a knee up put as much physical and telekinetic power behind it that it went right through the creature's heart.

The book dropped like a stone through the air the sound of his voice, landing with an explosive boom.

********************************************

Daniel rose, choking for air so loudly it could have been a scream. He raised himself up as he returned to his current reality. His little chest was rising and falling so quickly that the bandages loosened and sagged. A good idea for a mummy costume in days long gone. He leaned over and heaved, nothing left in his stomach to make the trip. _Can’t even pass out in peace without some insane dream_. Daniel was working through the whiplash of his living this current horror and having his dreams and visions of home tainted even further while ears were ringing with a high-pitched whine. He looked and saw one of the police vehicles he'd sent spiraling into the border checkpoint had exploded. _That explains the noise. Glad it woke me up._ His heart caught in his throat. _Oh no! What if that ki-_ he cut off the thought as he looked over his shoulder and saw his elder brother's frame lying there. Still. Small. Broken. _I'm so sorry Sean. I was so bad to you. I thought this would be what we needed. I didn't want you to give up Puerto Lobos._ The possibility of the explosion hurting someone didn't seem to matter as much.

"Sean, we were supposed to go together," he croaked. "I-"

The sound of distant, panicked Spanish jerked him back to his present situation and his heart again filled with rage and his belly with white hot fire. His hair began to dance around the crown of his head as stood up, ignoring the pain in his torso and skull. He approached the driver side of the truck as the driver's-side door, like it's partner, relieved itself of the rest of the vehicle and flew roughly forty feet away before coming to a stop in a small bush. Daniel reached his arm under Sean and hoisted his brother up. He was light. Like a bird. Sean's feet dragged. His head lolled, but he stayed right with Daniel, who began to walk to the border with a quick, angry pace. The panicked voice got louder as she finally found another bullhorn in the wreck of her unmarked cruiser.

"Daniel? Sean, please just-" Flores began but quickly deflated when she turned around to see the Diaz boys coming back.

Flores was no fool. She knew something happened. Something inexpiable. Something supernatural. What she didn't know is who was at the epicenter. Which brother? Both? She had to get them under control. Get them to give themselves up. She was prepared to put one or both of them down if necessary, but that wasn't justice. _They are still kids for fucks' sake. They can be taught. They can grow. This can't be the end for them. I won't let it! They just-_ Her thoughts locked up as quickly as her entreaties for surrender when she saw the pace at which Daniel was helping Sean back. That was not the walk of the penitent or the defeated or the frightened. They walked around the cars and bodies with an unsettling nonchalance. She frantically searched for her service weapon or one belonging to the numerous fallen and unconscious while trying to keep the boys in her line of sight, angling herself so that she might be able to take a shot if necessary. _If I could just get my fucking gun!_ The few weapons she saw blew away like tumbleweeds in the wind before she could even lunge for one. _How the Hell?_ _The boys. It's one of them again. They're coming back to finish it._ Flores felt a cold chill tear up her spine that she would have thought impossible under a blazer in the 97-degree weather and two separate auto fires burning behind her and to her right. _It's got to be the little one. I don't even think Sean's awake? They didn't crash, so what hap-_ Flores turned pallid under the sun when she saw the blood around Sean's neck. At first it was the tell-tale bullet hole. In her line of work, she'd seen plenty to know that Sean Diaz was shot. The most troubling sight, however, was that rather than leaking out and running down Daniel's arm, the blood was pooling and floating gently, almost beautifully, around his throat. A macabre ruby necklace, swirling. That's when she noticed that Daniel was using his power. His curse. Whatever. That's what was carrying the elder Diaz. Keeping him at the proper height like a stalwart older brother would be, had he not been shot in the neck by one of the incapacitated ICE, CBP and FBI agents lying in middle of an international highway.

Daniel closed the gap between he and Flores and the rage took its final hold. Seeing Flores' eyes dart from Sean to Daniel and back again made him seethe. "Oh, now you get it, huh?" he growled, just under his breath. He was about twenty feet away now. He couldn't wait anymore. He ducked under/shook off Sean's arm and began to march to Flores. Her eyes widened at seeing Sean defy physics as he floated angelically, bobbing this way, then that. Gently corrected by an invisible loving hand. The same hand that seemed to hold her in place. She felt her wrists locked in to her sides when she regarded Sean with horror and fascination. _Of course he's upset! He's alone now. Reach out to him! Calm him down!_ She began to step forward.

"Listen Daniel, I'm sor-ahhh!"

Agent Flores was cut off by an invisible force, now holding her legs in place, showing no mercy to her severely twisted and likely broken ankle that she receiving diving out of the way of the Diaz brothers' runaway car. She slumped, but the force held her in place, as though she were chained to a wall. The small boy before her slowed his pace, his deliberate steps toward her filled with malice she didn’t think a boy his age even knew of. Flores couldn't tell if he was squinting in rage or the fact that the sunlight to her back was blinding him. Maybe she could use the tactical advantage and make a move? No. It was like she was chained to the air itself. She couldn’t even wriggle. He stopped a few feet shy of Flores' invisible imprisonment, his hold on her firm. Wish his vision unimpaired in her shadow, his gaze met hers with a fire she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Sean tried so hard to show me what I should and shouldn't do, but I was more worried with what I could do and why I had to listen. Now he's gone because of you! Because of all of you!”

"Daniel, I-"

"NO! You people took my Dad away! Then you took my brother way!" Daniel gestured wildly, punctuating each sentence. With each thrust of his hand, it was if silent, noiseless thunder rumbled, shaking the air itself. "I HAVE NO ONE! Do you see this? YOU DID THIS!" The pavement splintered and spider-webbed from the center of Daniel's feet outward.

"You still have people that love, you Daniel! You can fix this! Just let me go and we can talk."

Daniel stared at her for a moment. He had to do this. _I could kill her. I could make a statement that I'm more than they could ever handle. I'm the Superwolf and I don't take prisoners. Make her pay. Make her hurt! Feed the beast and let her suffer._

His breath caught in his throat.

" _Just... Don't feed the beast, you know?_ "

Sean's words from back in Humboldt echoed through him, squeezing his heart and the hatred he had cultivated shattered like an antique mirror. _I can't do this. This isn’t what I am. Not who Dad wanted me to be. Not who Sean died for. Not the person Lyla or Brody or Chris knew. What would Sean say?_

"I'm done talking. Leave me alone. Forever. Don't try to find me. I just want to go away."

He turned his back the regain Sean's body, floating in ethereal ignorance. _Time to let you get some rest, Sean._ He linked his arms back in the familiar crook of his brothers arm and he began to walk with Sean drifting in toe.

Flores slumped, whatever was holding her in place vanished like a vapor. Flores saw this as her moment. _Daniel restrained himself and freed me! There’s still a chance! If I can just get these cuffs on him, maybe I can get him to the station. We can talk, get some food and try to figure out what the hell is going on!_ She took a few steps forward and put one hand out for Daniel’s shoulder and the other behind her back for her spare cuffs.

“Daniel, we can work this out” she rasped.

She crouched down to try to gently take hold of his free hand and the moment she made contact Daniel snapped from his trance. He spun around and was blinded by the descending, late-day sun now above her as she crouched to meet him at his level. All he saw was her hand reaching for him and another behind her back. Going for a weapon! He couldn’t see her face, just the few wisps of her brown hair as the sunlight shrouded the rest. He was reminded of his brief nightmare; Of the Flores monster going to finish him off and close the story of the wolf brothers for good. Sean’s body fell to the ground, forgotten, as the last Diaz lashed out with his tiny hand and struck the officer in middle of her chest to push her away.

In that moment, a strange sensation took hold of Detective Flores. It was like her body was freezing, despite the sun on her back. She felt the force of a Mack truck hit her and she couldn’t breathe. She coughed a mouthful blood out, a fine mist landing on the young boy’s cheek. How hard did he just hit her? _He’s just a kid, it doesn’t matter what he just did. Overpower him and end this, damn it!_ She just had to get the cuffs on his slender little arm. _Right there. Just grab him!_ But she couldn’t move. It was like her brain was starting to flounder. Like her mind couldn’t breathe, in addition to her lungs. She stood up a few inches to regain her composure but started to lose consciousness.

In the last moment of Agent Flores’ life, she wondered how the small patch of sunlight on Daniel’s ripped shirt was shining through her. _How odd_. Maria Elena Flores fell to the ground, dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first chapter of any FF ever, so I hope it was tolerable. I'm open to constructive criticism to make anything clearer with regard to plot or format.


	2. Two Wolves Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel comes to terms with the events at the border.

Daniel stared down in agonizing disbelief. _What have I done?_ He looked upon the crumpled form of the FBI agent responsible for bringing them in. As his gaze trailed down and he saw the hole in her back, his knees buckled and he fell, screaming.

_No. NO. That wasn’t me! I didn’t do that! HOW COULD I DO THAT?!_

Daniel rocked back and forth, hands at his sides, pinning the clipped tatters of his t-shirt together in a strange simulacrum of a hug.

“I would never…I didn’t mean…I…NO!”

The pavement beneath them splintered and cracked as though something of great weight had just made impact. Winds that couldn’t be felt or seen began to swirl and the wreckage of the vehicles around him began to stir.

“I just can’t do it anymore,” Daniel sobbed. “I’m losing it without you Sean!”

Daniel’s face twisted in agony. In that moment, it felt like his power would turn inward and he would explode. Ridding the world of the cursed wolf and his murderous rage. If this moment were to be his last, he would think of Sean. Sean, who was there from the beginning.

“Why couldn’t you stay with me Sean? Why’d you have to leave? I could just go with you! I’d see you, and Dad, and Mushroom and…and…”

Daniel’s pain overflowed and the cars around them, already wrecks, began to rise slightly and crumple like paper balls. Something inside Daniel snapped and he opened his eyes and frantically searched for the answer Officer Flores sought for as well. A shotgun from the truck of one of the overturned police vehicles that was imploding on itself flew out and skidded across the asphalt to Daniels knees. He ran his hand along the barrel. _Cold_. Maybe this was the one thing he could do to make things right? But…what would Sean say?

“Fuck that, he’s not here! He’s gone!” Daniel screamed at no one in particular.

 _“Kiss Karen with that mouth?”_ a voice said from behind him.

Daniel reeled around, searching frantically for his brother’s voice. Sean, however, was still lying where he had left him. _No. I can’t take this._

_“Take what, Daniel?”_

“Losing you. Still clinging to you like your lost, scared, hopeless little brother. I’ve seen so much and it’s changed me and I need to move on but in the thirty minutes since you’ve died, I gone and fucked everything up even worse! Now I’m going crazy talking to my de--…my dea--, oh God” Daniel began heaving, unable to get the words out.

 _“Shshshsh…Listen. I’m dead, but that doesn’t mean I was never here. That I never loved you. That we never talked. You can keep talking to me if you want. God knows you should have someone to talk to. It was me that failed you, Daniel. Not the other way around. NEVER the other way around._ The shuddering child could picture his brother’s callused hands and his shoulders. _You’ve had so much thrust upon you. You only fucking 10! You’ve only got one priority right now and that’s to live. To survive. If you die, Dad and I will be so pissed! Don’t let what happened to us be for nothing, Enano!”_

Daniel sighed in resignation and rolled his eyes. “What do I even do now,” he said, choking back more tears and snot.

 _“What you can. First things’ first. Calm. Caaaalllm_. “

The inner Sean’s voice dropped to a soothing, meditative lilt. The same one that parents would give a fussy child, or one that had just awoken from nightmare.

“ _Calm, Enano. Calm. Shhhhh.”_

Daniel’s breathing slowed. He rocked rhythmically, taking deep breaths through his nose and out through his mouth.

_“Now find her, and say what you meant to say.”_

“Sean, she’s dead and I killed her.” Daniel’s voice started to whine and his breathing picked up.

_“And so am I. Shot dead by one of these fools on the ground, but here we are. Now hurry!”_

His head swam as he opened his eyes and looked at the back of Agent Flores. Trying to avert his gaze from the fist-sized cavity where her heart and sternum used to reside, Daniel gently slid the hair from her face. Flores lie there, eyes closed but peaceful looking. She could almost be asleep if not for the horror a foot below that.

_“It’s just like praying. I know I wasn’t great at it, but you remember at Stephen and Claire’s, right? It doesn’t have to be a big thing, just say what you need to say.”_

“Listen, Officer, I…”he paused. He felt the dry heat in his eyes form and he was mad again. He didn’t even have enough left in him to cry. “I’m sorry, but you startled me OK?!” he shouted at Agent Flores. “I wanted to hurt you for what you did to my brother. For what your people did to my dad. We never asked for this! ANY OF IT!” He wavered for a moment. His voice began to soften “You wouldn’t believe the stuff we went through. Sean and I, we had no one but each other. I realize some bad stuff went down, but the only reason I’m still here is because Sean carried me through…and you would take him away from me?” He stood up and turned to look at the fallen body of his brother.

“He was all I had and he’s gone. I wanted to hurt you for that, but I knew that it would be like spitting in his face so I just wanted to scare you. To make you afraid to bother me any more and so I could go live in peace.” He turned to face her, looking down and her sleeping face. “It’s not like it would be all that peaceful anyway! I don’t even KNOW Spanish! I don’t have any friends! I’ll probably never read another Hot Dawg Man or play Minecraft again, so what good would it even be?” He sat again, crossing his legs like a little yogi getting ready for his exercises.

“You scared me, and in that moment, I thought I was going to fail my brother yet again by getting killed or caught by you. I can’t have that. Not now or ever again. I’m going to live my life and try to make the memory of my friends and family proud of me. I never wanted to hurt you Miss Flores. I know you were just doing your job. I know you’re probably mad at me. I deserve it. I get it. But please don’t be mad at Sean. He didn’t do anything but keep me safe.“

He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “I hope you get some rest too. I never meant to hurt you, but I did and I will never forget that. And I will make sure that no matter how scared I get, I won’t hurt anyone like I hurt you again.”

Daniel stared at her for a moment as a feeling took hold of him. As though some part of him had restored strength. As those something broken began to fade away.

“Sean, I think that worked!” He looked around and saw that the vehicles had ceased their self-destruction and had resumed their previous positions on the ground. Daniel beamed. “Sean do you see this? I think something happened after I prayed with the cop lady and…” Daniel continued to pivot around, searching for Sean, his smile fading.

“Sean, I did it, where are you?”

Silence. The sound of Daniel’s heartbeat in his ears, the last crackles of the fires on the wrecked police vehicles and the hollow empty wind blowing across the desert. That was all the reply Daniel received.

Daniel’s voice cracked and his face turned pained again. “But you were here. I talked with you, where’d you go?” He returned one last time to his brother’s side. “You were never here. I’m still just crazy, huh?”

_“Not crazy, Daniel. Hurting”_

“Maybe I don’t mind hurting so much if that means I get to talk to you.”

_“I’ll always love talking with you Daniel, but eventually we won’t need to anymore. I’ll always be here when you need me enano. Just remember that when you don’t need to talk to me anymore, that’s not bad. Don’t feel guilty for moving on. You just need to live. Things will be hard. You’ll have to fight so much more that we did before. I’m sorry I didn’t ready you for that. But you’re so strong. More than you ever knew. Promise me you’ll live!”_

“I promise, Sean.”

_“Good, now go. Now!”_

“What? I-“ Daniel stopped. He heard a shuffle as one of the CBP agents in the distance groaned and hazily struggled against the debris. Daniel breath’s hitched in his throat. _Fuck. I need to go. NOW_. He turned back to Sean and kissed his brother’s forehead. He thought for a minute, then removed his brother’s eye patch and looked at him as he was.

“I love you Sean. I hope I can make you and dad proud. Please don’t leave me again ok?”

_Run_

He rose to his feet and lightly jogged back to the truck stealing one more look behind him. A speck-like shimmer in the distance caught his eye. _More of them_. He crossed over the imaginary line that separated one nation’s citizens from the other and leaned into the truck, grabbing the book bag with the few remaining worldly possessions. More importantly, it contained the last remnants of his brother and for that, he’d move mountains or reduce them to rubble.

Daniel began to look around frantically. The truck was shot and damaged beyond repair and he didn’t know how to drive one anyway. There was no way he could go on foot or stick to the road, but he had to get out of here. On the Mexican side, the border station was locked up as it seemed all resources were planted on the US side to prevent his emigration. He hurried as best he could to the station and gave the door a shove with his mind. The jamb broke and the door swung open. He quickly raided what he could, grabbing some first aid and bottled water. There weren’t many foodstuffs, but apparently it was donuts-for-breakfast day at the office, so between that an a few granola bars in the Port Director’s desk, he felt safe to move.

***

It had been three days since the events at the border, and Daniel was at his wit’s end. Slogging through the hard-pan a few miles from the road so as to go unnoticed seemed like a good idea at first, but the terrain was awful in his miserable excuse for footwear.

“Dad always got you better shoes.”

_“Because I ran track. You could have too, you know. Might get a little further before you started huffing like a choochoo if you had, huh?”_

_“_ Oh shut up.”

Daniel could feel the smug smile of his brother inside his head and his heart was lighter than air. Fortunately, his time on the road had really gotten his rationing abilities down pat so he still had plenty of donuts and water left for the next day or so. He ate a whole granola bar when he woke up to try to bolster his strength though the day.

“Don’t know if that’s what you’re supposed to do, but it seemed right.”

_“Well you only had three and they tasted like cardboard anyway. That won’t be a problem anymore now.”_

“Yeah. I feel like I’ve been making good time! I hope I run into somewhere soon.” He paused a moment, eyes taking in the bleak panorama around him. “I hope I run into **anything** soon.”

To that, mental Sean had no response, but the feeling of unease was there. While the food was low, he had probably two more days of water left but if he didn’t find a place to stop soon, he wasn’t going to make it much further. Of course, this was to say nothing of his physical condition. The bandages he wore finally slid down his chest and pooled at his waist, so he took them off and threw them into the desert. His wounds were closed, but they were likely going to scar. He was mostly worried about sunburn. He did his best to sleep during the day and move at night, but it was so hard to see. The first aid kit he found did have an emergency blanket, but he was afraid it might make him easier to see. In an effort to not look like a shiny baked potato in the middle of the desert (an image that, when paired with Hot Dawg man, never failed to make him laugh), he tried to ration a small trial-size sunscreen he found in the kit as well. The trouble was that his shirt was in tatters and didn’t cover much.

“I should have taken your hoodie.”  
_“Only if you wanted to stink like a garbage dump”_

Daniel slogged on until he came upon a roadside stand. He had started a few hours prior to sundown and now the sun was below the horizon, leaving a fading purple in the sky to remember it by. He sat down near the little booth (Maybe for produce? Why was it here? Daniel couldn’t tell.) and took out a donut and Sean’s sketchbook. He’d been familiarizing himself with it over the past few days and nights, trying to read it over before losing all daylight.

_“May as well be peeking through my window, pervert.”_

“Oh, come on! It’s not like there’s anything to hide in here. Besides, what am I gonna do I if see something I don’t like? Tell?”

_“Touché. But you know what we’re doing right now?”_

“Uh…talking?” Daniel asked with a snarky edge to his voice. It was as if he could feel the look Sean would give him. The one that says “Hey, I’m trying to be serious here.”

_“You know.”_

“It was like therapy. You didn’t have someone to talk with. To take your problems to like I do, so you wrote them here.”

“ _That’s right. And I’m not hiding anything, but you have to understand that I was under a lot of pressure at times. I hope that if you see something that makes it seem like I was mad at you or tired with you, you know that this was just an outlet. I love you so much, Daniel.”_

“I love you too, but you had Finn and Cassidy and the others! You weren’t so alone!” Daniel couldn’t help but feel a little spike of anger. At least Sean had friends his own age, if only for a while. Daniel was always made to feel like a hanger-on.

_“Yeah, I did. For a time. But even then, it felt like they were pulling me from you. And to be honest, you felt that too. I couldn’t be alone or just hang out without you being there. That’s not a bad thing you should feel upset for, but whether you meant to make me feel that way or not I felt guilty. The book was the one thing I could spend time with that you didn’t seem to find threatening or become jealous of, so I shared most of my thoughts there. Read at your own risk I guess.”_

Daniel was humbled. _“_ I know, but you could have talked to me! You didn’t have to bottle everything up! You said you wouldn’t lie to me, remember!

_“I said I would try. And you know that I couldn’t share everything. You weren’t the person back then that you are now, little man. You weren’t ready to hear some of the things we were dealing with. Heck, you still might not be, but you’ve come a long way. I guess…read away, Enano.”_

_“_ Whatever.” Daniel grumbled. He closed the book after looking at some of Sean’s sketches. (It was a neat one of Finn doing something. It was too dark to see.) He finished up his donut and sucked the dried-up glaze from his grimy fingers. “God, I would love a bath. Extra bubbles!” He dusted the crumbs from his lap and rose to move on. As he turned to grab his bag, a small glint caught Daniel’s eye in the dying light. He picked it up, but couldn’t actually see what it was. It felt circular and metal. A ring maybe? _That’s crazy. Who would have lost this out here? This stand feels like it’s been here since the world ended. Maybe I’ll hang on to it. Souvenir? I’ll look at it in the morning._ He stuffed the little mystery into the book bag he inherited and made his way back into the hard-pan. “Road’s got to lead someplace. If I keep moving with the road, I should run into something. I hope.” Nothing from mental Sean on this. Just a twinge of dread as the purple in the sky faded to black.


	3. Fighting the Hunger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel's time of wandering aimlessly comes to an end after he is forced to think critically on the power of his choices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've tried to include some Spanish for immersion but since it's courtesy of Google Translate, I realize that it might not be perfect. I apologize if it's clunky. Just trying to capture a bit of the spirit of Daniel being in Mexico and how that would play out.

Daniel’s steps became disjointed as he shambled across the Mexican landscape, the tatters of his split shirt tied around his head. He had switched to a junk shirt that Sean had kept for laboring in during their various work stints. It was crusty and almost in as rough shape as the one relegated to headwear, but it covered his skin- already so much darker- from the harsh sun. Hardpan became sand became sparse grass and weeds as he made his way south, squatting down in the shade of a nearby tree and taking a few amenities out of his backpack. _You look as dry as I do,_ he thought staring at the sharp jagged branches as he quaffed the last of his water. Daniel was looking forward to filling up his water and getting some real food in town. He had a little money left in the backpack from back before everything went sour. Daniel had little concept of the value of a dollar beyond “spend as few of them as possible.” That attitude had left him more bitter than responsible. He was already planning to revenge-eat as many choco-crisps as he could get his hands on, as though he could punish his hunger.

“ _An apple wouldn’t kill you either, enano.”_

Daniel smiled. The idea of hearing his deceased brother had become more of a comfort over time, rather than a concern. After everything that had happened, shouldn’t he be allowed this one thing? People talk to themselves all the time. _I’m just talking to someone I know_ he thought as the last drop of water made its way to his stomach.

“ _Slippery slope buddy. They’ll have you in the nut house. They’ll be all ‘está loco, get the straight jacket!’”_

Daniel giggled. He could almost feel Sean tickling him and poking his side. He could feel Sean’s smile on him like the sun. He basked in the glow of it for a moment before looking up at the other, less jovial sun doing it’s best to roast him alive. While he tried to make real miles by walking mostly at night, he never got very far. Even with no light pollution and a moonlit path, it was still so dark. Whenever the sounds of the wilderness were too much, Daniel couldn’t shake the nightmarish vision of the late Agent Flores leaving him quick to retire for a sleepless evening. As such, day tripping was his only option and that left him ragged. Fortunately, he could see civilization on the horizon. In his effort to keep as much distance between he and the road as possible, Daniel had actually moved across the hot, blank stretch of nothing and began to follow what appeared to be a service road that turned out to lead to-well, something. “ _I’m not going backwards,”_ he had thought, _“so any direction’s a good one.”_ He absent-mindedly began digging his heel in the sand as he squinted at the shapes shimmering in the distance. It looked like a small little town. A few buildings. Hopefully a gas station or corner store. Something.

He returned his gaze to his lap, looking at the Sean’s sketchbook. He hadn’t even planned to unpack it, but he felt it pulling at his attention all the time. It was one of the last pieces of his brother and Daniel held it like it contained his elders’ ashes. He let out a troubled sigh.

_Ah, just do it. It’s not that exciting anyway._

“You won’t be mad?” he asked, timidly. He didn’t bother looking up, knowing the only place the conversation would be had was in his head.

_No, I was just messing with you before. I’m touched that you want to keep this little piece of me_.

“It’s just…I do feel like I’m peeking. This was the place for you to relax and put your thoughts down on paper. To…I don’t know…get shit off your back?”

_“Watch your mouth.”_

“I just want to know everything about you. Too many people think they know the truth about us; they think what we’ve gone through and had to do! One day people will know what actually happened and I want to be the one to set people straight!”

That invisible sunny-smile warmed his heart again, giving him all the permission he needed. He continued to dig his heel into the sand, carving a little groove as his eyes took in the pages. Sean was usually quick to show him many of the fancier drawings. Sketches of people and places, their surroundings. In this instance however, Daniel was truly enamored with the little things. “It’s like we’re memes!” he laughed, enjoying casual doodles that Sean put on the paper almost without even thinking. In that moment, it was almost easy to forget the context. The reason Sean had drawn so much. To cope. To manage. To tell a story when words just wouldn’t’ suffice. Daniels foot kept scraping, his eyes kept wandering. Flipping ahead a little to take in more of the art, he couldn’t help but wince at some of the later drawings. Sean’s trademark talent was there, but it was marred. Daniel couldn’t express the more intricate feelings that the less polished sketches caused, just the shame he felt at being the source of his brother’s injury. To be the reason that one of the gifts that Sean had nurtured his entire life had been brought so low.

_“Come on, they’re not that bad.”_

“No, I didn’t mean that it’s just-“

_“Shshshhh. It’s fine.”_

The guilt he felt was palpable. “It’s my fault that you hurt your eye like that. I’m so sorry Sean.” He wanted to cry; he felt he should, but his eyes were dry. He just felt tired. Another weight on his back. If he felt this way, how must Sean have felt? No shortage of burdens on his older before the end. “God I’m such a waste!” Daniel huffed and kicked his foot into the groove in the Earth he was slowly whittling.

“Sssssss”

“I’m not a baby Sean, you don’t have to treat me like a wuss. I couldn’t cry if I wanted to.

The noise he mistook for a consolation got louder, followed a powerful impact to his ankle. The sting was immediate, followed by what Daniel could only think of as being stabbed by a sharp soon. He looked down to see a scaly creature latched on to him. It was a sandy-colored snake with brown and black patterns. It’s rounded head and body were rather stout, but not very long. Daniel noted its upturned snout and subconsciously thought it would have looked kind of neat had it not been attacking him. The bite began to throb, burn and freeze simultaneously. His rage was incalculable. Without thinking Daniel held out his hand and ripped the creature from him with nothing but his will. The way the creature had latched forced a good chunk of his flesh to come with it, but he didn’t feel it in that moment. All he felt was the old fury that he thought he’d put behind him. Yet here it was again, like an old friend showing up to your rescue at a fight you didn’t start but were certainly going to finish. Daniel missed and embraced the blind anger. The snake danced in the air for a moment, then tried to roll over and stick it’s tongue out. _Is this fucking thing playing dead?_ He quickly snapped his hand twice it brutish chopping motions, smashing the snake into the wasted truck of the tree. The creature hissed again, then flipped and played dead again. “I’ll show you dead, you piece of shit!” Daniel stared daggers into the snake. His left hand was upraised into a choking fist while the other reached forward to grab a handful of air and quickly withdrew. In that moment the snake’s skeleton was ripped from its body and landed in a pitiful wet mess on the ground. He smacked the creatures remains against the tree one final time and launched it into the sparse weeds some thirty feet away. He could feel the bite with great clarity now, the pain seeming to course through his veins. “Fucker!”

_“Yeah, you showed that little bitch didn’t you!”_

“Yeah…” Daniel said with a non-committal tone. He heard Sean’s praise, but it didn’t sound like him. It was jarring. The disappointment in himself felt real enough. He thought back to the scorpion. Then back to the cougar, between who Sean had put himself and Daniel. It wasn’t the animals he was trying to protect though. “I don’t need protecting! See that! Asshole is dead now!”

Two people seemed to speak to him in that moment. Different people, yet identical. It was Sean that spoke, but with two voices, sentiments overlapping. _“You'll be alright/You’re hurt.”_ He felt a gaze from the two nobodies inside his head as though they were on either side of him. Sized-up. Judged. Daniel suddenly felt nauseous and threw up what little water he had in him. He quickly pulled the shirt wrapped around head and tied it around his ankle, grabbed his bag and started to jog out to the buildings in the distance. It was more of a skip, trying to put as little weight on his injury as possible. He went on for five minutes (what felt like a marathon distance though the building seemed no closer) before his vision began to swim and he began to stumble. As he fell, he went to catch himself and put full weight onto his wounded leg.

“FU-AAHHHHH.” Daniel immediately went sprawling and rolled to his back, clutching the bloody shirt he had wrapped round the snakebite, the text and rocket ship adorning it barely visible. He rocked back and forth for a moment, sucking air through his teeth, trying to push through the pain. He could feel his arms and chest starting to burn on the inside. “I just need a minute. Just a second…”

Two overlapping voices. _“You take all the time you need. You fucking earned it./You can’t stop here. You hurt yourself and you need help.”_

“I just need to…I- _”_ Daniel’s eyes fluttered and his head bobbed, sagging into the collar of the over-sized shirt. He thought he could smell Sean for a moment before he drifted into the dark.

********************************************

Daniel felt a shiver of cold against his back as he started awake, trying to make sense of his surroundings. It was black and hazy. His back was to a stone wall. A small fire was burning in front of him. It took a moment, but he finally recognized where he was: the stone outcropping at the Trout Spring Trail where he and Sean had made camp on their way out of Seattle. Daniels stomach twisted with nostalgic longing when he remembered the night. The berries that Sean had tasted to make sure they were safe. The round of hide & seek they played before Sean called it off, too worried he’d lost his little brother. The games they played by the water. All those memories were etched into his brain, but this place was different. The darkness and fog weren’t natural. The sun was setting low in the sky, but it was dim rather than the vibrant oranges and pinks he’d seen time after time. It was as though he were wearing sunglasses. He could hear the river just down the path but it was muted, like it was much further way than it should have been. Things weren’t right.

“Oh, it’s not that bad once you get used to it.”

Daniel froze in horror at the sound of Maria Flores as she approached the dim fire and squatted to warm her hands. She was dressed in her typical pant-suit, shoes with a modest heel and dark brown hair spilled over her shoulders. She appeared perfectly average but to Daniel she looked radiant. She had a natural flush on her cheeks and a residual smile on her face that warmed Daniel’s heart. She seemed to catch him staring.

“Not what you were expecting, cariño?” Daniel just continued to stare, eyes briefly darting to where the wound he gave her was, only to find nothing. A relief. “I never would have thought things would play out the way they did at the border.”

“I just-” Daniel began.

“Shush. You’ve already had your turn.” Daniel stood, confused. Flores elaborated. “I heard what you said to me. I feel for you, Daniel. I really do. To have lived that life. Always on the run, not knowing what mess the next day will bring; I get it. That doesn’t mean all is forgiven, though. I had a family too. Now I can’t help but wonder if my child will grow up feeling as lost as you are.” Daniel immediately tried to force himself back further to no avail, averting his gaze as his face burned with guilt. “I’m wondering if you fully realize the ramifications of taking someone’s life. You killed me, whether you meant to or not. That has to mean something to you.” She looked up from the fire and her face fell. Had Daniel had the courage to look her in the eye, he would have seen that this was not the reaction she was trying to elicit, but rather that she was trying to get through to him. Instead, he was backed against the wall, lips trembling. Flores rose and walked to him. But all Daniel could do was look at his feet. He felt every bit the child he claimed he wasn’t.

“She won’t hurt you, enano,” Sean said from just outside the ring of light cast by the fire.

“We’d kill her if she tried,” another Sean said. “…again.”

Two wolves entered the circle. Identical in every way but one. Both had soft-looking, thick gray fur. Both were hulking, almost Daniels height. Both almost appeared to be smiling when they looked at Daniel and both had scarred left eyes. The only difference was that one wolf’s eye was the color of polished alabaster. It looked as though it could see through Daniel’s very soul. The other’s scarred eye was pitch black, as though it were non-existent; a void that could suck Daniel in at any moment. The wolves took their place on either side of the fire and sat, staring. Waiting. Flores didn’t’ acknowledge them. She stood just outside of the cave-like roof and hunkered down.

“I’m not trying to cause you pain or to make you feel bad. I’m only trying to get you to listen.” Daniel’s eyes flicked to the wolves that had his brother’s voice before resting his eyes on Flores again. Having Sean _(Seans?)_ there made him strong enough to meet her gaze. “Each choice you make sets you down a path. You knew from the moment you learned the truth at that hotel that life was never going to be the same. Every step you took with your brother was destined to be a struggle and will continue to be one for the rest of your days. It’s bleak, but it’s the truth.”

“Then what’s the fucking point?” Daniel snapped. Black eye wolf licked its chops.

Flores stood up and brushed her hands on her pants, sighing. “Child I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked myself that. On the search for you two alone!” She held out her hand in a gesture of good will. “The point is to make as much of your life as you can and to do it in a way that would make the best version of yourself proud.”

Daniel considered her words for a moment and took a step forward. He grabbed her hand and Flores’ smile lit up her whole face.

“No one’s saying you have to be a superhero. No one is saying you have to exact revenge. You only need to do one thing,” Flores said, suddenly sounding distant herself as thought she was speaking while walking away.

“Are you ok? What’s going on?” Daniel hollered as the agent seemed to fade into the darkness, her grasp melting through his hand like mist. “I can’t hear you!” Daniels voice was also fading. Distant.

“Do what you think you need to, and live with it,” she murmured. All sound disappeared except for the wolves howling.

********************************************

Daniel groaned as the howling wolves became an obnoxious, squeaky wheel that set his teeth on edge. He opened his eyes and regretted it immediately as he saw bland, peeling cinder block walls race by him, giving him motion sickness. Daniel tensed as the noisy gurney rounded a corner and rammed a door open before coming to a halt. The area around the snakebite was a dull throb while the chunk missing flesh felt like fire. He opened his eyes again now that they had come to a stop and was greeted with a brief look of man in his early 40’s with light patchy stubble, graying hair and a furrowed brow, all under a dingy, off-white coat. Daniel only saw him for a second before the man turned on a bright exam light that hit him like a club.

“Perdón por eso, pequeño,” the man said. Daniel couldn’t quite grasp the exact words, but he could tell by the tone that the man was apologizing for blinding him. “It’s ok. Am I gonna be alright?

“I can tell you were bitten by a snake, but what the hell happened? Did you try to cut the poison out?” The man’s question was rough, but his tone was soft. He spoke with genuine concern.

“The snake wouldn’t let go so I…” he paused, thinking of the most reasonable untruth. “…I just pulled it off.”

“Little luchador must have quite the grip!” He poked Daniel in the belly playfully while not taking his eyes of the wound on his ankle, carefully removing his makeshift dressing. It was clear he was trying to keep Daniel calm.

“Don’t throw that away!” Daniel panicked as the doctor started to drop his red shirt in a bio-hazard bin.

“It’s rags, child. Trash.” The doctor held up the tattered remains of the Puerto Lobos shirt, confused.

“I know but…please don’t. You can throw it outside if you have to! I’ll get it later!” Daniel pleaded.

Whether it was Daniels wide eyes or his teary voice, he couldn’t tell. All the doctor knew was that he was moved. “Kids and their treasures. Si child, that’s fine. We’ll bag it up. Enfermera podrías…” he held the tatters up and a stout, older woman with a tired smile on her face swooped in and out faster that Daniel could even follow.

“Now tell me, as best as you can, what did the snake look like?”

“Um…it was brown?”

“And?”

“I uh…”

The doctor sighed, losing his patience. “I need you to remember, mijo. Quickly. Colors, shapes, size, face. Anything!”

“Oh! It-uh-had a pig face!” Daniel shouted! A smile traced his lips as he thought he had given the game-winning clue.

The doctor started to ask a follow up, but just let mouth hang open. His eyes squinted and his brow furrowed again. His cheeks started to rise as he lost his composure and started to laugh. Daniel, confused, joined in.

“You mean like…” the doctor seemed to look around for something just threw has hands up. He jammed his thumb to his nose, pushing it up so that his hairy nostrils stuck out like a pig’s, his caterpillar eyebrows raising quizzically for confirmation.

Daniel cracked up. “Yeah! Just like that!”

The doctor’s laughter trailed off into a sigh of relief. He flapped his hands at Daniel, signaling him to calm down and stay put. “Rest a moment. Ya vuelvo.” He quickly walked out of the room and rapidly spoke to the nurse before jogging away. The woman returned in his place giving Daniel another smile. She pulled a tray of instruments to her side and Daniel flinched at some of the more menacing instruments. She held up her hands. “Quédate quieto por favor.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t-” Daniel had picked up rudimentary Spanish, but he didn’t know what she was asking.

“Still. Gentle.” She spoke softly. Daniel wanted to be annoyed at being babied so, but it was kind of nice to have someone who worked so hard to keep him at peace. He started to notice that the room was adorned in all sorts of off-brand children’s characters. He kept his eye out for Hot Dawg Man, but to no avail. He might have seen a Power Bear, but it looked like something out of a fever dream. The woman worked diligently at Daniel’s ankle, cleaning and sterilizing the wound. Daniel watched her carefully, admiring how quickly and quietly she worked. She had a look of intense concentration on her face, but the smile never left it.

A few moments later, the doctor returned with a book that looked like an encyclopedia. He plopped into a stool on wheels with enough gusto that he glided over to Daniel, briefly bumping the smiley nurse. Without looking away, she swatted his arm and muttered something under her breath, her grin not so much as faltering.

“This one?” the doctor asked, holding the page up to Daniel. On the page were pictures and diagrams of a particular snake. The marks were very similar, but the face and the shape said it all. The book was in English so his eyes flipped to the header. “Hognose…yeah. I guess that’s a good name for it.” His eyes wandered to the categorical tags and details and Daniel's eyes grew wide. “It’s got venom!? Am I gonna die? Do you have a cure?” Daniel was suddenly annoyed that the doctor was smiling and carrying on rather than giving him some kind of antidote. The instruments on the nurse’s tray rattled for a moment and Daniel immediately went pale, tensed up, and tried to control himself. He took deep breaths, in through the nose out through the mouth, just like Sean showed him. The doctor noticed the brief battle of self-control but said nothing. He put his hand on Daniel’s knee.

“It’s good news. It’s bite is not not enough to do anything more than be annoying.”

“Feels stronger than that,” Daniel snorted skeptically.

The doctor paused for a moment, as if trying to decide his next move. He stuck out his hand. “My name is Dr. Jorge Alzamora. This noble woman beside me is Anna Martinez, the best nurse this side of Sonora!” Anna gave a polite wave without looking up from Daniel’s ankle. Dr. Alzamora gave Daniel his best “put ‘er there, pal” handshake and vigorously pumped his arm, shaking Daniel’s whole frame causing him to smile and introduce himself, despite his reservations. “Daniel, eh? Ok Daniel, I have a very important question. One that may change your fate and that of the whole universe!” The doctor’s smiled dropped and his grip on Daniels’ hand tightened. Alzamora scooted his seat forward conspiratorially, eyes staring Daniel down intensely. The boy stood frozen, not sure what was happening. _Have I been found out? Does he know about the border? Is he going to turn me in?_ The doctor leaned in to Daniel’s ear, the smell of coffee on his breath punctuating each word. “Are you hungry?” Daniel was so confused as to be speechless.

“Well I’m starving and I refuse to eat alone. Anna always brings in a small feast for us and I’d love to share. Join us?”

Breaking the silence, Daniel’s stomach rumbled so fiercely that Anna and Jorge were in tears with laughter.


	4. A Passing Tale: Super Coyote

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel learns more about the past of his new confidants and tries to come to terms with the future ahead of him.

Daniel pushed himself away from the little table letting out a resounding belch that surprised even himself. He guiltily clapped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide. Anna looked around from break room's little sink and shook her head slowly, but the bright smile muted any sign of disapproval. “I think he needs another plate!” Jorge proclaimed, taking the napkin out of his shirt and dropping into the pile of table leavings. “I think if took another bite I’d blow up,” Daniel groaned. He got up and stretched, almost ready for a nap. “Feeling better, little one?” the doctor asked, genuinely concerned. He was always in the habit of sizing the boy up. He could tell there was so much more to him, but he had no rational reason to think that. Daniel didn’t notice the assessment as he was logy from his over-consumption of the most delicious leftover enchiladas that he’d ever had.

“So much better! I haven’t had real food in…gosh…a while!” Daniel started to slink over to a beat-up looking couch that would probably be more at home in a trash heap than an employee lounge. He didn’t mind, though. To him it looked almost palatial. He absent-mindedly rubbed the crook of his arm, the bandage from his IV fresh, but itchy.

_Catch a snooze! When are you going to a chance like this again?_

_Maybe you should help them, enano. Like with Claire or at the camp. They just fed you, it’s the least you can do._

“Yeah, yeah…” Daniel mumbled, heeding one Sean over the other, who for a moment, seemed to shrink back in his mind. Daniel theatrically grunted, rising from a half-sit to go back to the table and collect dishes and trash. Jorge continued to look at Daniel curiously, but said nothing. “Well I can’t let you do it all,” Dr. Alzamora exclaimed. He also rose to assist, bringing the dishes to Anna who shooed him away. “I just get in her way,” Jorge pretend whispered. Daniel smiled and began putting lids on various containers and scooping up the trash. Typical dinner tear-down. All the while he didn’t notice the doctor’s lingering eyes, full of concern.

“That’s why the reaction was so bad, you know,” Jorge offered. Daniel paused a moment, confused. “You had nothing in your system. Most people who get bites from that snake. It’s a blister. Mild irritation. But a dehydrated, underfed, sleep-deprived child? I can see why you were so _hablador…_ uhh…chatty, while you were out. The snake bite didn’t do that. You’re in rough shape, little one.”

Daniel smiled. His natural instinct to not draw attention to himself coupled with his intense longing share his struggles were at odds. The younger Diaz missed having someone to vent to. “I’ve been through worse.” _Hmm…They’ve been good to me, but they’re still strangers. Maybe I shouldn’t say much more._ “Besides, after that I don’t think I could eat again for a week so I don’t think that’ll be a problem!” Daniel exclaimed, putting on his sunniest smile to misdirect the attention he was getting.

“Maybe so, but it’s unusual. You are clearly not from around here and yet here you are. Have you been living on the street? For how long?”

In Daniel’s ears, the doctor’s tone seemed to cross from concern into accusation and he couldn’t help but feel a little flustered.

_Fuck his help. You don’t owe anyone an answer! /I think he means well, but watch your step._

Daniel took stock of the advice he was given and opted for a kind answer with an edge of finality. “I’m okay, really; just passing through. I only have a little further to go.”

“Are you alone, where is _tu familia_? Do you have parents? Siblings? Some guardian?”

The line of questioning was picking at Daniel’s calm as if it were a scab.

_He doesn’t know. He’s just concerned._

_Maybe you should tell him exactly where they are. Maybe he’d like to meet them._

Evidently the consternation on Daniel’s face clued Jorge in on the boy’s discomfort. “I don’t mean to irritate you. It’s just that the streets in this area are...” he paused, glancing briefly at Anna. “…they are not kind to children.”

Daniel’s anger subsided and grief was left in its wake. He knew just what a wild, wild world it was. He need only remember the blood he scrubbed off his hands. His face. None of it was his, but it could have been at any given time. Surely the doctor took stock of his previous injuries and thought he was protecting him from whatever dangers he was fleeing from and likely headed toward. Daniel let out a sigh. He knew what he needed to do because he was learning exactly what kind of place the world was-and how it treated children alone and on the run. The feeling of hands on his shoulders flooded his chest with warmth. They weren’t really there of course, but one giving a light pat and the other giving a steadying grip was enough to bring Daniel back to reality. The dueling reflections of his dead brother seemed to have a truce for now. “I know. Some things are the same no matter where you go.”

Jorge grunted in acknowledgement. Clearly this child had seen more than he wanted to share. As a former pediatrician, he’d seen so many children with hidden stories they longed to tell. As they got older, it seemed easier for them to bury it or otherwise ignore it. Odd that a child so young had gotten to that point. A testament to his struggles no doubt.

Daniel, hoping steer the direction of the conversation to something else, wandered slightly. It was only then that he began to notice the truly sparse conditions of the facility. “So, where am I? I didn’t see any hospitals when I was on my way here.” Jorge chuckled. “Definitely not a hospital, child. Clinic might be the best word for it.” Daniel cocked his head in surprise. “So where is everyone? You don’t seem very busy.” Anna huffed in the background as she finished the remainder of the dishes and dried her hands. “That’s because we are not. At least here.” The doctor’s tone took on a dejected note. “This area was more industrial when we opened the practice years ago. Workers and their families lived here as it was a close commute to the big _fábricas_. Unfortunately, being so close to the border, there were other…less legal opportunities that popped up. Eventually the manufacturers were put out of work from cheap overseas competition and the jobs dried up.” He paused, stealing a quick glance at Anna. “All that remained were the criminal types. It drove the few that could sustain themselves in this town out again. Aside from a few of the older residents who have nowhere else to go, we really don’t have much here.”

Daniel was held rapt by the doctor’s reminiscing. He felt a little guilty being so intrigued, but it was nice to hear a story that wasn’t his own. “So why stay?” Daniel asked, not sensing that the doctor hadn’t really wanted to go further into detail. “Well, like I said, we have to care for the older people who remain. Anna here is also good with animals. A vet in past life, so that helps. It draws in some of the ranchers that need help on occasion. There’s enough to keep food on the table, as you can see.”  
Jorge smiled and thought of a clever segue. “Not as many vets as you probably had in…Texas?”

“Washin…hey!” The dreamy look on Daniel’s face slipped off like a mask and a small child’s righteous indignation of being tricked quickly replaced it. The doctor had a sheepish grin on his face and held up his hands in fake surrender. “ _Si, si,_ I know! Trust me, I can tell you’re on the move. I only wish to help you. I used to work with children even younger than you and it hurts so much to see when they don’t have someone to help. I-no we,” he paused, throwing his arm around Anna, “just want to do what we can to make sure you’re alright.”

At that moment, the soft chime of a clock came from down the hall. _“Nosotros vamos?_ ” Anna asked. Jorge gave a quick nod and began to turn off lights. “We close for a little bit to do a quick medicine delivery. It’s mostly me driving Anna around. Care to join?” Daniel was about to say yes, but a nagging feeling in his gut told him he should move on. Jorge did not miss the boy’s apprehension and held a hand up. “Please, don’t be worried. We just wanted to give you a little longer to rest. Normally you’d be in bed for a few hours, but you bounce back quite well! Even so, it’d be best not to test it. We don’t want you collapsing again!” A warm smile drifted across Alzamora’s face. Daniel felt guilty. These people helped him. Daniel felt he owed them, but he had nothing to give. Nothing of value anyway. A moment of panic shot through him and his head rapidly darted around, searching. “What, what is it?” The doctor was confused, trying to figure out what the boy was so concerned about before he remembered the bag he had with him. It was quite large for a child his size. All the more baffling was how light it felt. He wanted to nose through it when he had the time. See if the child had some info or perhaps a phone to contact someone. The chance never presented itself. “Is it your bag? I’ve got it right here, hang on.” The doctor quickly walked to a coat closet while giving Anna a quizzical eyebrow raise. _In here, right?_ She nodded, a mildly impatient look on her face as she shot a look at the clock on the wall, it’s yellowing face indifferent to their delay. The doctor grabbed the bag off of a coat hook, but was unable to turn half-way around before Daniel snatched the bag from him. Jorge took a step back and held his hands up again, a small smile on his face. _You’d think I was trying to befriend a stray_ he mused. “It’s all there, sir! Every peso! Even emptied the safe!”

The joke fell flat with Daniel as unpleasant memories began to drift to the surface. He grimaced and Alzamora felt foolish. Clearly, he’d struck a nerve. Daniel maintained his calm, but was unsure for how long. “Look I’m sorry, I just really need to go. You guys are like superheroes and I can’t thank you enough, but I don’t have much.” Jorge took a step forward, his face falling a bit. “Please, that’s not what we care about, we just want-“ he trailed off as Daniel dropped to a knee and furiously rummaged through the sparse contents of the bag. He took a quick inventory. Everything appeared to be there. He rooted around some more and found the ring he had come across in the desert. _Feels heavy. Could be worth something._

_You could sell it. Not like you have a lot of money, enano!_

_You’ve got to take care of yourself, but maybe that’s not the best way. Do you even know who’d buy it? What it’s worth? What if you get caught with it? Someone might think you stole it!_

The options weighed rapidly in his mind, but he felt the need to get out of there quickly, so he figured he’d worry about the money later. “Here! I found this. Maybe it’s worth something and you guys can sell it or something, but I-“ he was shocked to silence as Anna stepped forward and deftly snatched the ring from his hand. Daniel wanted to be angry, but he was mostly confused. Her face was lost the trademark grin that rested there as she rolled the ring between her palms. As if she could grind it into dust. Anna whipped her head to Jorge and began rattling off something Daniel could even begin to follow. Something panicked and angry. The more she spoke, the more the doctor's face seemed to fall. Anna’s eyes watered up as she thrust her hands at Daniel in a sense of pleading. Jorge let out a sigh as though he’d held his breath the whole time. He slowly turned to Daniel whose muscles were tensed like a hare ready to run at the first inclination of danger. “Can I ask-where did you find this?” Jorge stammered.

“I swear, I just found it on the ground while I was walking here. I didn’t take it from anyone! It was just sitting there! I-I mean it, I-“ Daniel quickly began to lapse into the same panic he felt when he couldn’t explain himself to an adult. His father wasn’t one for frequent discipline, but Daniel knew that look. All children did. The disbelief. The doubt. It always ended with punishment whether they were telling the truth or not.

Anna’s wide eyes lost some of their wildness as she approached Daniel. She slowly took a knee and cupped his hands. She was visibly shaken, but mustered a weak smile. Without breaking eye contact, she asked Jorge something that Daniel couldn’t make out. “And you didn’t see anyone and no one saw you?” Jorge asked, translating.

Daniel didn’t break his gaze from Anna. His muscles were still ready to spring, as though he expected to be tackled at any moment. “No, it’s just been me since I passed the border. Haven’t even seen a car go by. Just me.”

Anna’s eyes ran over with tears as she clutched Daniel’s shoulders. She kissed his cheek and squeezed him tightly. She slowly rose to her feet and put the hands in the small of her back, eliciting a few small pops. She sighed and dabbed her eyes with her sleeve. “ _Estaré en el auto,”_ her voice wavered. “We’ll take our time” Jorge replied.

As she grabbed her purse and a box of meds and shuffled out, Jorge pulled out a chair and plopped down rubbing his hands over his graying facial hair. “Did I do something wrong?” Daniel asked, even more confused by whatever it was that just happened. “You probably didn’t follow that, did you?” he chuckled. Jorge’s sense of relief was palpable, but Daniel had no idea why. He could already tell that needing a translator was going to be more tiresome than he thought.

“No child, this is just… _preocupante._ I promise I will explain, but please consider staying just one night. It will give me an opportunity to make sure you can continue on safely.”

The doctor’s demeanor had changed to one of pleading. Daniel was concerned. Sean had made it sound like once they crossed the border, the path to their father's home would be a simple one. He still had no idea what that who exchange was about, but it’s not like Puerto Lobos was going anywhere. And he was still so tired. “Well, maybe a little longer. Is she okay? That was really weird.” A car horn sounded and caused Jorge’s eyes to dart up to the clock. “Ah. We need to go. We’ll catch up on the way.”

********************************

It was their third stop and it went on just like the previous two. Dr. Alzamora would stop the car, letting Anna pause briefly to grab a few things from an old cardboard box. A bottle of pills, diapers (for young and old), small parcels of food, syringes and vials-she’d pulled all manner of things from their traveling pharmacy, crossing each item off a scrap of paper thrown in on top. Each time Anna stepped out, the doctor would continue with his story. He watched her step out of the dusty station wagon and with arms full of supplies, gently lean into the door to close it, silencing the ambient sounds of living drifting in from the little cluster of trailers. She was an older woman, but surely younger than his grandmother. Daniel wondered why she shuffled around the way she did. Claire had white hair and wrinkles, but she got around a lot better than Anna. _I guess all old people are different_. In any case, it gave Jorge some time to catch Daniel up. He had previously finished explaining the nature of the town years ago when his practice was still young and the criminal element had started to leak in. “Dog fighting. It was big. Some came to pass the time, most came bet. Some people were looking for connections. Work was disappearing at that time and so a lot of the young men were looking for their way out. Work or starter money.” Daniel was hardly sympathetic to the “young men” as he clutched the bandanna tied to the shoulder strap of his bag. It he had ever come across a place like that, well…

 _Calm down, buddy._ _It’s just a story._

Sean’s normal voice was present but far off, muted by the “other” Sean. It wasn’t conflicting words that drowned him out, but a sense of dark brooding. The sheer gravity of the other one’s presence in Daniel’s head was enough to get Daniel’s heart pounding so hard that it drowned out the rest of the world (and the rest of his head.) Daniel could see brief flashes of Mushroom- his little body, fragile and broken. A snarl was the only other input he could sense as he began to picture how he’d teach those evil fuckers a lesson.

Jorge, noticing that his story had once again hit a sour note with the young boy, chimed in. “It wasn’t all bad. There was a hero of the story! A woman there who would take the injured ones rather than let them be used as bait or training dummies. She’d fix them up. They weren’t lap dogs by that point, but they were tired. They got along pretty well with her and with the other tired people out here. Good companions.” The doctor paused a moment, allowing that to sink and hopefully bring a sense of calm.

“-ked their asses…” Daniel mumbled, barely audible. He turned to look out his window at the scattered mobile homes surrounding a large, but rundown property.

“What’s that _amigo?_ ” Jorge asked, curious about Daniel’s sudden interest, profanity laden or otherwise.

“She should have kicked their…butts!” Daniel shouted. His voice lost some of its edge when he realized he was shouting at a man more than 30 years his elder. “She sounds tough. Why didn’t she try to stop them? Maybe she could have to shut it down instead of just waiting to fix things! Doesn’t sound like a hero.” A tone of disgust tinged his words. “Sounds like a coward. She should have fought.”

Alzamora snorted. “Who says she didn’t?” Daniel turned, eyeing the doctor. “I mean it, little one. I’ve seen her put a man twice her size on his _culo_. She was no coward; she just picked her battles. If she threw herself into the fray every time, she would have ended up mixed in the slop they fed the dogs.” The very notion drove Daniel to shocked nausea, but Jorge stood firm. He wasn’t proud of putting such a dark thought out there for a child to hear. Even so, he may not know Daniel’s past but he was sure that this headstrong child needed to temper his emotions or he’d get himself into more trouble than he could handle.

“Anyway, as time went on, more people were going out than coming in, so the fights went away. Since she had spent so much time out here anyway, our superhero decided to say in the area to help the old folks take care of their new pets. Then the old folks themselves” Jorge paused as he looked out the window to see Anna make her way to the next home, her arms a few items lighter. An old blind man sat in a patio chair with a very mangy Labrador lying lazily at his feet. She said a few words and grabbed the man’s hand, holding it to her face. The old man’s face lit up and rose to give her a hug. The dog rose briefly to lick her knee before hopping in the man’s chair, newly vacant. “Well, then what?” Despite everything that Daniel had been through, his love of stories and the escape they provided remained. It was only recently that his need for them to have a happy ending became more prevalent. The doctor continued. “Like I said, her vet work wasn’t as busy anymore, so she decided to work with the locals instead. She didn't have much formal training. She did odd jobs around the area for people. She even did side work at the hospital because she wanted to take nursing courses.” Daniel’s eyes squinted in suspicion and he looked out the window as Anna appeared to make her last visit. The doctor smiled at Daniel for having picked up the connection, heavy handed as it was.

“Is she-“

The doctor continued, cutting Daniel off. “To make a long story short, our hero loved helping people. Sometimes, she even broke the law to help. Do you know what a coyote is?”

“You mean, like the animal?”

Jorge chuckled. “Not quite. A coyote is a word for people who help sneak people across the border into the US.”

“Maybe she could be a hero. Super Coyote: helping the innocent people leave their dangerous old lives to start a fresh one in brand new place!” Daniel looked out the window again wondering if the wolf brother’s tale might have benefited from such a hero.

“I’m not sure if you know this, but it’s quite dangerous to sneak in. Crossing the terrain is dangerous enough! Once you get close though, there are people and security that would…well they would capture or hurt you.”

Daniel’s face dropped. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”

“Anyway, she was quite good at it. There were people on this side that would set it all up. They would cross, and then she would meet people on the other side and hand them off. It was usually young women and children. Our lady hero was so proud of the what she was doing, but it didn’t last.” He paused to gather his thoughts. “You know that ring you found? All the members of their group wore them. It was like their…” the doctor paused, not sure of the best way to describe it.

“Like a secret club handshake?” Daniel offered. The doctors face lit up.

“ _Si,_ exactly! Even in a small, dead town like this one, you never knew who you could ask or who to trust. They wore these so that they could recognize each other, even in secret. Well, one of her trips, she had met a group that had been robbed and abandoned by their coyote. Feeling bad for them, Super Coyote said ‘Come with us!’ When she met up with the person in the US to have him finish the last leg of their journey, he was furious! ‘Who are these extra people? We don’t need them!’” The doctor hesitated, wondering how to proceed. “People got hurt.”

“Why was it such a big deal? What’s it matter if there were a few more people?”

“That’s what our hero thought. When she got back to Mexico and explained the situation, her secret bosses were mad at her. They punished her by breaking her leg and leaving her in the middle of nowhere. She thought she wasn’t going to make it, but a doctor from the hospital she worked at was worried when she didn't come back. He went looking and found her so that she could come home and heal.

“So wait, what about all those people she brought over. What happened to them?” Daniel suddenly sounded panicked.

“ _Nada bueno_.” The doctors tone suggested that he wouldn’t say more on the matter. Daniel tried not to pout. Another story, but what good was it? Just more people hurting. More people alone. Alzamora reached over and gave Daniel a comforting pat on the knee. “Do you know why I told you these stories? It wasn’t to scare you. It was to prepare you.” The back seat opened as Anna climbed in, but the doctor continued. “You’re clearly running from something and you’re trying so hard to make it to the end that you’re not letting anything get in your way or slow you down. I can respect that, but you’ve got to think. You’ve got to consider your actions. You might think that the ends justify the means or that you're doing the right thing. Just like Super Coyote. Then, before you know it, you’re in too deep.” His eyes met Anna’s in the rear-view mirror. She raised her eyebrow. _So he know then,_ she seemed to ask? He nodded.

Daniel felt broken down by the story and couldn’t rely on his inner voices to soothe him anymore. The dam broke as he tried to maintain his composure. “My older brother was with me, trying to get us to Mexico safely after our dad was killed. He wasn’t perfect, but even at his worst all he ever did was try to keep us safe.” He hugged the backpack that brought them so far to his chest. “He tried to get us to turn ourselves in. Even though we didn’t do what they said we did. He thought it would be safer.” His voice quavered. “I thought that for once, I could do something to keep us safe and I could get us home. I m-m-made him cross. We ran d-drove over and he got shot. They k-kil…” Daniel broke down into sobs. He felt two, very weathered, very real hands from the back seat on his shoulders as he cried into his backpack.

“It’s ok…Shh. It’s ok.” Anna held on to him as Daniel broke down, trying and failing not to openly weep in a kind stranger’s car. Trying to process that he was truly alone for the first time in his life. He didn’t notice Jorge’s hand gently clasp his. The doctor said nothing, his work with children returning to him like second nature. He waited patiently, running his thumb over the top of Daniel’s hand.

 _You’re never really alone_. Two voices, one sound.

After a time, Daniel’s sobs turned to sniffles. He rested his head on the bag for a few moments more, smelling the dust and the miles he and Sean had put behind them and wondering how many more he would add. He looked up, the late afternoon light reflecting in his tired, puffy eyes. “Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stay one night. If you were still offering…” Anna leaned over and planted a big kiss on his cheek as Jorge gave Daniel’s hand a final squeeze before reclaiming his own to shift into drive.

“I am, _mijo_. Let’s call it a day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was always my head-canon that Daniel had to have formative experiences that shaped him into the Lone Wolf we all saw. I realize that this was a dense bit and it isn't anything I plan to dwell on for long. For me, Daniel is constantly making connections throughout the entirely of LiS2 and I wanted that to continue even after. This also means inferring parallels from others' stories and struggles. This was meant to be a stepping stone to help show how Daniel was shaped into the young man he became.
> 
> Again, apologies for any lame translations. Trying to be sensitive to the spirit of a bilingual speaker but also make it clear that this will be a regular part of Daniel's life. As he becomes more ingrained, the Spanish will melt away as the languages become woven together in his head over time.


	5. A Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Puerto Lobos is the closest it's ever been and Daniel doesn't know what to do other than "get there." The truth comes out and Daniel has a choice. Does he keep his secret and silence those who now pose a threat, or does he take a chance and accept their help?

Daniel lay snugly on his couch, wedged in safe comfort between his father and brother. Sam and Frodo had just fled from the fellowship during the skirmish at Amon Hen. Daniel enjoyed the Lord of the Rings, but relished the sense of peace and familiarity it gave him more than the content. It was a reliable, guaranteed tradition that he took pride in. A light snow was falling, the smell of their Christmas dinner wafting through the house and in that moment, all Daniel wanted was to sit here forever. He glanced up at Esteban whose head listed to the side, eyes closed but with a contented look upon his face as his chest slowly rose and fell. Sean, on the other end of the couch acting as a perch for Daniel’s legs, had his head propped on his hand, his phone in his lap. Not wanting to disturb anyone’s post-meal movie slumber, Daniel lay his head back down on his father and snuggled in. He felt his eyelids grow heavy and a slow contented grin form on his face when Sean’s phone began to vibrate. Daniel’s annoyance grew as Sean ignored it. “Come on Sean, turn that off.” Daniel shook his foot against his brother who did nothing but bob with the motions as his phone fell to the floor. “Daaaad,” Daniel whined. “Tell Sean to st…” he looked up to see father completely still, eyes still closed. Rigid. The contented smile on his face looked off-putting and almost strained. Daniel wouldn’t have been able to explain the discomfort he felt in that moment, but it crossed into panic very quickly. He frantically scrambled off the couch to his feet, though his movements felt like wading through quicksand. His chest heaved as a panic mounted in him. Seeing them both sit there on the couch like bookends shouldn’t be so scary, so why did he have this feeling? Sean’s phone continued to ring and pulse long after it should have gone to voicemail. It grew louder as Esteban and Sean seemed were suddenly at a distance, fading away. The vibration against the base of the table rattled like a jackhammer. He could feel the house, no, his own teeth, shaking with each pulse. He bent to pick up the phone, the screen not listing any name or number. As his fingers made contact, it stopped and the screen lit up a timer as if the call had been picked up. “Hello?”

“ _Es hora de despertar.”_

****************************

Daniel woke with a start, to the sound of a car door closing. The station wagon was parked in front of a modest home with a few potted plants lining it’s weathered but still brightly colored exterior. He looked over to see Anna, shaking his knee. Her ever-present smile was betrayed by her furrowed brow. _These fucking dreams. People are gonna think I’m crazy._ Daniel gave a theatrical yawn and stretch. “Are we here?” Anna was wise to his deflection and said nothing, but Daniel could see a certain amount of sass in her eyes that said that questions would merely be postponed. _“Si._ Grab your things _.”_ She gave his knee a reassuring pat and stepped out. Daniel paused a moment, taking in his surroundings. As his dream faded out of memory, a feeling of serenity seemed to radiate around him.

_I can’t believe I made it. I made it Sean. You got me out here. You kept me safe. But what now? I still can’t understand anyone. I have nothing but some bags and toys. I’m on my way to Dad’s old home, but what do I do when I get there? I miss my friends. I miss you. I feel like I should pray, but to who? Is anyone listening? Claire always thought so. I don’t know if God is listening, but I know you are. Please help me a little longer Sean._

Daniel relished in the calm for a few moments more before it began to wane, replacing with a sense of urgency to move on and uncertainty as to where he was headed. The combination made his stomach churn. He looked at the façade of the house and noted the orange hue that fell over it and the landscape surrounding. “It’s getting late,” he said to no one in particular. He pieced together the past few hours to try and snap himself back to the present. After wrapping up their philanthropic medicine run, Jorge suggested Daniel sit in the back under the auspices of Anna “stretching her legs.” The hushed tones spoken in Spanish proved otherwise. He wanted to be annoyed, but he was too tired after his earlier breakdown to give it much thought. They stopped briefly at the clinic to drop off the supplies, check any messages, and lock up for the night. They had spent a long time in the clinic as he sat in the car waiting and that must have been when he nodded off.

_That solves it, enano. Better not keep them waiting._

Daniel was no longer startled by the voice in his head that was not his own, though it felt like a lifetime since he’d heard his brother last. He missed Sean so much. It was the only remaining constant he had. Daniel didn’t know what worried him more: the fact that he was hearing his deceased brother and sometimes more than one of him or the possibility that he might stop hearing him altogether. He hugged the oversized bag (his own, stuffed safely inside) for a moment and climbed out.

Jorge had opened the front door just as Daniel reached for the knob. The doctor fell back a step and had an unusually nervous look on his face. He tried to replace it with a smile that looked like he had a gun to his back. “There you are! Just wanted to make sure everything was alright. You good?”

“Sorry, I was daydreaming.”

“You’d have been nightdreaming had you stayed any longer!” He theatrically paused and pointed a finger-gun at Daniel, who snorted in spite of himself. Daniel stepped into the doctor’s home, not really sure what he was expecting. Anna was in the kitchen, closing some newspapers and setting them into a basket before stowing them away on a table overflowing with junk. It reminded him of Stephen’s train station and work area, but way more intense. It was as if 20 or 30 projects that had been 40-60 percent completed were all set out to politely remind someone that they were still in need of attention. Small, half-painted pots and vases clustered one corner while a stack of medical books, simultaneously dog-eared and bookmarked sat in the other. Stacks of empty photo frames sat next to a hat box of dusty photos and a dried-up palette of cheap-looking watercolor paints rested near a canvas covered in beautiful swirls of color that demanded Daniel’s attention.

Jorge noticed Daniel’s fascination with his various projects and stepped up to the table. “Like a hobby shop exploded, eh?” He began to proudly list all his different endeavors and why had stopped as though Daniel might judge him otherwise. Apparently, Dr. Alzamora found it difficult to not keep active and was often told that finding something to keep busy would help. This plan had evidently backfired, but had yielded a pretty cool collection of items and talents, in Daniel’s opinion. As Daniel moved closer to the basket that Anna had set on the table, Jorge got increasingly fidgety. “Want to see one of my favorite things? Check this out!” He quickly brushed past Daniel and grabbed the basket and unceremoniously tossed it under the table, only to grab something behind it. He quickly ushered Daniel out of the cramped den and into the kitchen where he pointed to a table, mercifully free of all materials and detritus except for a pair of glasses and a watering can. The item in question was a small rectangle with rods coming out of it and little figures dotting the inside. It was a miniature handmade foosball table with players in various stances and positions. “Want to play a few games?”

“Definitely!” Daniel scrambled over to a seat as Jorge produced a marble to set up the kickoff. “Did you make this? It’s so cool!”

“I had a patient that came in for a woodworking accident of all things. He was a nice man, but didn’t have much money. He did offer some free labor and this house wasn’t in as decent shape as it is now so I took up on it. He was even kind enough to show me some things and we’ve stayed in touch.”

“Wow, that was nice of you” Daniel said as he jerked and slapped the makeshift ball toward Jorge’s keeper. He was unable to keep the frustrated look off his face, however, as not only had Jorge defended the shot, but sent it flying back downfield into the hollowed-out space that served as Daniel’s goal.

“Not _that_ nice,” Jorge said with a wink. Anna swept by the table muttering something playfully to Jorge as began to put together some food. “Yes, because you cheat,” he said, not unkindly.

“So, do you guys live together?” Daniel still couldn’t quite nail down the dynamic Jorge and Anna had. She was always around. There was playful banter. There were serious moments. Were they a couple? Daniel didn’t think so, but he’d come across all sorts of people in his travels, so it wouldn’t be the strangest thing he’d ever seen. “No, but we are tied at the hip. Back in her Super Coyote days, we helped each other out a lot. I’d patch her and some of her people up. She’d…acquire supplies and money for the practice. We’d both try to help out the little guys. It wasn’t always honest work, but it was good work.”

“That’s like my brother…” Daniel trailed off. Jorge kept a volley going, jostling the ball slowly down field but not taking a shot and interrupting the boy’s thoughts. “Oh yeah?” he prodded. “Yeah. We didn’t always follow the rules. I saw him do things all the time that he probably shouldn’t have. I’m not sure if he knew, but I saw.”

“Why do you suppose he did that?” Jorge asked with an air of innocence, trying not to sound accusatory.

“To keep me safe. To make me happy. To make things easier. He wasn’t a bad person. He just tried to make things better for us. For me.” Daniel’s enthusiasm for the game slowed and Jorge could tell so after the next goal, he set the game aside. “Do you want to talk about it?” Jorge pushed. He’d made some startling discoveries today and was trying very hard to help in an organic way, but if what he had heard was true, he didn’t want to prod too much. “No, s’ok. I just miss him. Nobody really ever cared for me like he did. Some people said they did. Some people pretended. He wasn’t perfect, but…” Daniel gave a defeated sigh. “No worries, just know that I’m here if you ever want to talk,” Jorge offered, patting Daniel’s hand. He was glad to see Daniel didn’t appear feeling as raw this time around, but it broke his heart to see the child shouldering such a burden so strongly. _Has he ever been given a moment to grieve without having to watch his back?_

Jorge rose from his seat, working a few pops out in the small of his back. “It might have been better for me to make more comfortable chairs rather than this little game. I’m going to see if she could use a hand with dinner. I know you might be a little too old, but maybe you’ll enjoy this.” Jorge produced a phone from his pocket and passed it to Daniel. It was scratched and dinged, but one of the newer models from what he could tell. “Some of the children on our rotations always have to be occupied with something or they’re prone to fits.” Jorge paused a moment and looked over Daniel’s shoulder at his messy table and smiled. “I guess I can relate. Anyway, I got a little cheap one to use as a work phone for just such a purpose. I’ve got some games on there. Maybe there’ll be something you like too. Why don’t you go sit outside and enjoy the sunset while we clean up a bit in here?”

Daniel could tell when he was being ushered out of the way. _Happened enough in Humboldt. Heck, it happened enough at home when things were normal._ He paused wistfully, thinking of those lost days and was ready to put on a placating smile and thank Jorge right before he saw the familiar icon with Hawt Dawg Man on it. Daniel’s eyes went wide and his face lit up similarly to when he received the PlayBox on Christmas. “You have Mustard Party? I love this game!” Jorge’s smile beamed. “See if you can beat my high score! I do have _surgical_ precision” He paused, throwing up some more finger guns his way, but Daniel had already rounded the corner and stepped outside to the front step. Jorge snorted at his own joke before turning back to Anna. Lowering his voice and switching back to Spanish, he took a deep breath and asked “ _So, if that’s all true, what do we do next,_ ” nodding toward the basket of newspapers that headlined the grisly details of the Diaz boys’ ordeals at the border. Anna continued making her way through the kitchen grabbing cookware and ingredients, but paused to glance over her shoulder with a look on her face that seemed to imply he should already know the answer.

“ _We make him dinner and get him to where he needs to go. Just like we’ve always done.”_

“ _You read what they did. Do you think we can handle moving dangerous cargo like that? Surely, you’ve seen the strange things that happened when he got upset. They were little, but I’ve never seen something like that before. Maybe we can talk to someone people with the authorities, some people who might be more equipped to help! I still know some people on the inside who…”_

Anna slapped a spatula on the counter in frustration, a rare moment of losing her cool. _“Don’t be a fool! I know the same people you do and neither one of us has the money needed to make anything official work! The only thing any of them think they ‘know’ is what’s been printed. We, however, knew who this child was the moment he was found and what we would need to do to keep him safe. The same way we try to keep any who came to us safe!_ She paused to gather her thoughts and Jorge’s lips formed a tight line. He didn’t appreciate being talked to like that, but Anna was right.

“ _So, what then? Where do we even begin? When will we discuss his options? He doesn’t even want to tell us where he’s headed! Where do we start, Anna?_

“ _We start by making him dinner. Then we’ll get him to where he needs to go. Just like we’ve always done,”_ she repeated.

Jorge huffed and plopped down into a chair. _“I know it seems that simple to you, but we need a plan. I’m not used to being on the front side of this sort of thing, you know that!”_

_“I know. But you can feel it, can’t you? This child has lost so much. Just imagine how much he must need a helping hand.”_

Jorge sighed deeply and put his head into his hands. “ _He’ll need more than a hand if any of that is true.”_

****************************

Daniel was extremely rusty, but he had absolutely no problem breaking any of the recent high scores. He tried to check the leaderboards, but it seemed that the phone wasn’t connected to the internet. It had a cell signal, but he remembered how he had used up all of Sean’s data once and so he was a little hesitant to try and browse using mobile. _Maybe I’ll just download a translator app. It’ll just be a tiny bit of data. He won’t even notice._ This was easier said than done as he clicked through various apps trying to find the app store. For being a bit beat up, it was a far nicer phone than Sean or his father had ever owned, so Daniel wasn’t familiar with the layout at all. After checking everything on the first page, he swiped to the next one and found a tile he recognized as the browser. This app must have been enabled for mobile use because some pages were already loading as it opened. His breath caught in his throat as the first image was one of both he and Sean. It was grainy still footage of the pair exiting the police station not long before the showdown at the border. Daniel bit his lip and swiped through the tabs. He couldn’t read most of them, but he could tell that he was clearly identified and confirmed to have crossed into the country from the US. He dropped the phone into his lap and began to rock back and forth. Panic was setting in. _What do I do? They know who I am. They know what I’ve done! Are they gonna turn me in? Oh God…oh…no._ He wrapped his arms around himself as though he had a stomachache and started to hyperventilate. He thought he might actually pass out when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Daniel let out a shout and whipped his head around, only to send the doctor flying backward into the house. “Oh shit! Jorge! I’m so sorry, are you ok?” He rose and hurried inside, praying the doctor was ok as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the interior. Fortunately, Alzamora had been thrown lengthwise into a couch. In any other circumstance, it would have looked like he had got home from a long shift and crashed on couch for a nap. Aside from some chipped paint from the sofa slamming into the wall, it appears there was minimal damage. Daniel took a step forward, but the doctor held his hand out. “Just stay there, _mijo_!” Jorge called back. Daniel paused and put his hands over his mouth again. Tears began to flow. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. You scared me” he repeated into his hands, muffling his rant. The panicked look on the doctor’s face made Daniel feel like a monster.

Anna had raced out of the kitchen and into the living room, forgetting that she had a knife clutched in her hand. While a casual observer might have seen the peppers and onions stuck to the blade, Daniel was too worked up to notice. Instead his heart sank as all he saw was a wide-eyed woman coming at him with a weapon. He held his outstretched hand before him, inches away from her midsection. Anna rose a foot off the ground, her arms pinned to her sides. Jorge lie there, stunned. _What the fuck is happening? How?_ He sat up slowly, slightly sore. Being thrown through the air is still being thrown through the air, couch or no couch. He held out his own hands, pleading. “Please Daniel. It’s ok! I know it was an accident, but you have to calm down. Please child!” Daniel’s eyes returned to Anna who was struggling while suspended by the air itself. She seemed more annoyed than fearful. The knife rose to her chest as she struggled and held there, poised.

“Are you gonna give me to the cops? Were you gonna kill me? Oh God, I should have run. FUCK!” His voice cracked as he shouted. Tears ran down his face and his nose bubbled. He had lost all control of this situation. He had already killed. Did he have to kill again? And so quickly?

_Sean? What do I do? Oh please Sean, tell me what to do?_

_Enano, you’re in control right now. You see how they aren’t moving? You see how they’re defenseless. You have to power to decide how this goes. If you wanted, they could both be dead before she hits the ground, right?_

Daniel’s face lost color at the thought. _Y-yeah, but…_

_Yes, you could kill them, take what you need, and keep moving. You could also talk it out._

Daniel paused. It was odd to hear both options laid out before him by one Sean. One voice of reason.

_It’s up to you bro. You get to decide how this goes. This isn’t like before where the best you could do is react. Now, you get to decide how this plays out. You can give them a chance. If they don’t take it, well…you do what you need to do to survive. However this goes you have to survive, but maybe they can too. Wolves don't always have to kill. What kind are you, little wolf?_

Daniel’s eyes paused on the knife for a moment and it twitched. “Please, child, don’t!” Jorge rose to his feet and took a step forward before falling back to the couch, hands stuck to his sides. “Let me think!” Daniel cried. He turned and looked at Anna. “Can you speak back to me in English?” In that moment, she did something that shocked both Daniel and Jorge. She laughed.

“Yes, Daniel, I can speak English. I just hate the way it sounds. I hate the way it tastes in my mouth. Not many kind Americans in my day, so I prefer my native language.” Her sharp eyes stared at him and he felt very much like a child. _I don’t have control at all._ Still, he pressed on.

“Do you know about me? About my brother?”

“We do. We had our suspicions when we initially treated you. It was only when we got our hands on some newspapers that we were able to confirm who you were. Beyond what the news reported and what you’ve told us, that’s all we know about you and your brother. Or your father.” Anna wanted to go on, but didn’t want to press him too hard. This wasn’t the first tight situation she’d had to talk herself out of. Daniel started to pace and she could tell he was at odds. If he was going to kill her, he could have done it any point. She was hopeful. “Daniel, please take a deep breath and look at me.” Anna waited to see what he would do. He paced a few more steps and let out a sob before stopping and looking at her. He stared at her longingly, as if he hoped she would have the answer for whatever needed to come next.

“During our careers, we’ve helped so many people get away from those who would harm them. I’m not Super Coyote. We are not superheroes, but we try to be good people. We can definitely tell when someone is in need. When someone is on the run for their own safety. Believe it or not, people in our country are fleeing things like this all the time. I’m sure people in your country do it too.” Daniel took a few steps toward her; so close that even he had to look up at her, short as she was.

“I’m so close. My brother died trying to get us this far. No…” he paused, as if coming to a realization that he’d overlooked. “That’s not right. I got my brother killed, trying to get us the rest of the way. Sean got us so far and everything just fell apart. He always tried keep me out of things and do it all himself and the one time I try to help, this is where I end up!”

Jorge began to gently speak so as to not startle Daniel. The gravity in his voice ensured that there was nothing but sincerity. “Your brother did what he thought was right to take care of you. Just like you’re doing right now. Sometimes we make mistakes and people get hurt. Sometimes…” he paused in thought, not wanting to lend strength to his next words, but pressed on. “Sometimes people die. And the chances of something going sideways will only increase the more you try to take this on yourself. Tell me Daniel, do you think we want to hurt you? To hand you over?” Jorge could feel the force holding him in place relaxing, little by little.

“I don’t know!” Daniel moaned. “I didn’t think so, but when I saw the articles on the phone and when I think of your guys’ little side conversations, I just…I don’t know!”

“Anna and I had some different ideas with how we were going to do it, but what we needed to do was never a question. We want to help you!”

“Even after all this,” Daniel croaked, the tears flowing freely again.

“Especially after this.” Jorge smiled. His body relaxed and his arms fell to his sides. He couldn’t resist the urge to flex his hands and fingers with his invisible shackles gone. _There is hope for him. We can still help!_

Daniel turned to Anna. “I can’t keep this up. You’ve been so good to me, but I can’t trust anyone and I can’t keep wondering what’s gonna happen next.” Anna smiled at him. “You don’t need to wonder anymore. Not here.” With the hold on her arms relaxing, she deftly reached out and snatched the knife from before her. She paused for only a moment to show Daniel that she had enough time to strike with it before throwing it over her shoulder where it stuck in ugly wooden paneling, quivering. Daniel’s eyes went wide, as she lurched forward and seized him in the strongest hug she could manage. “Let us help you. Let us get you to where you need to go. No one should have to go so far alone.”

Something inside Daniel gave way and he buried his face into Anna’s stomach, holding on to her like a life preserver. She dropped to her feet but never let go of the trembling boy in front of her. _You’ll make it child. You have to._

Daniel couldn’t stop shaking. He was so ready to kill. Or to die. The adrenaline coursing through him had his body strung so tight. He knew it was the end, but these people…they were good. They wanted nothing from him. They didn’t need his labor. They didn’t even need his companionship. They just wanted to help. The strings holding him so tightly finally unbound, leavening him to soundlessly sob into Anna’s body. Daniel felt a hand on his shoulder and a gentle kiss on the top of his head. “We won’t give up on you, little one. You’ll see wherever it is you’re headed to. We’ll make sure of it.” Jorge sunk to his knees and held them both close.

****************************

Daniel lie in bed, staring up at the ceiling. During their post-confrontation meal, he had explained what had happened to him from beginning to end, sparing no detail. He couldn’t help but feel vindicated every time their faces shadowed-over in anger or their eyebrows raised in surprise. It was amazing how light he felt afterward, knowing someone had heard him; had felt for him. He rarely tried to speak with Sean to process what was happening because he felt so bad bringing it up. His brother was going through the same struggles and had no one to share it with but a notebook. It was different with them. It was nice to share his story and not be judged or have to hold back. After a brief sidebar, the doctor and Anna had insisted that he go to sleep right after dinner. While he was in bed, they had taken turns running various errands, but he stayed in bed, not wanting to cause more trouble. “We’re leaving tonight so you need to rest up now. We should be able to get you to Puerto Lobos and stay with you long enough for you to find the property you’re looking for. I just wish there was someone there to look after you!” Jorge had been looking at the boy with a gloomy air about him. Daniel thought about joking about his power, or saying that no one would mess with him, but he could tell those weren’t the right words. Instead he just sighed. “I know. I just…I just need to get there. I think the rest will sort itself out once we find my dad’s home.”

“Ugh, you sound just like Anna,” Jorge said with a fake tone of disdain.

“She’s kind of badass, isn’t she?” Daniel asked meekly.

“Don’t tell _her_ that! Her head’s big enough,” Jorge joked. Anna stuck her head in without missing a beat and stuck her tongue out behind Jorge’s back. “ _Buena noches_ , Daniel,” she whispered and blew him a kiss. She turned to the doctor and made a few comments Daniel couldn’t make out and left. Her footsteps disappeared as she stepped outside and the car roared to life before pulling away. The look of apprehension on Daniels face was visible in the dim lamplight. “Don’t worry,” Jorge assured him. “She’s just picking up some stuff for the trip. Once she gets back, I’ll run out and grab some things, and then we’ll head out. It’s going to be pretty late and we’ll have a long day ahead. You need to sleep as best you can.” He tousled the boy’s hair and turned out the light. Daniel’s mind was abuzz with possibilities. He was so close to home. What sort of people would he meet? What was the house like? Did it have internet? Could he talk to Chris? Could he go swimming every day? Could he practice using his powers unnoticed? His mind slowly grew more somber and the thought of his brother. The last he had seen him was at the border. Bloody and still. He leaned over and turned the lamp on and pulled his brother’s bag into bed with him and took out the journal. He grabbed a pencil tucked into the binding and flipped to a blank page. _Too many blank pages. I wonder what he would have written. Would have drawn…_ He tried to draw his brother’s face from memory and was horrified and the misshapen image he’d started. Sean would have loved it, but Sean deserved better.

 _Don’t be so hard on yourself, enano. It took me a while to do anything half decent. I wish you would have told me you wanted to learn. I’d have taken more time to teach you._ “We never had time. It’s alright,” Daniel spoke aloud. _Well, practice makes perfect. Do you remember how I used to draw? It was always a process. I never just jumped right in._

Daniel took up the pencil and tried to remember how Sean would begin. First, he would study the scene and take it in. He started with simple shapes and lines, going back and forth. Study the scene, add to the image, study the scene, add to the image. Daniel was suddenly terrified at the idea he might forget what Sean would look like. _I don’t have a picture of him!_ He started to panic, but then he remembered his brother’s ID. It was at the bottom of the bag along with some other forgotten items. He studied his brother’s image reverently. “It’s not fair. You should be here with me.” His hand began to squeeze the card in anger, but quickly stopped when it started to yield and crease under his grip. _Don’t worry about that, enano. Just draw. Like I did._ Daniel had managed to get a few portraits of his brother down before he found himself nodding off. He looked at them all and was disappointed in the quality, but was happy to see that they were, in fact, improving after each one. He tucked everything away and clicked the lamp off before hugging his brother’s bag to him. With a full belly, quiet mind, and a tired heart, Daniel drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure that this has much of a following, but sorry for the delay! Recent world events have got me in a bit of a funk and I can't tell you how many times this was written and re-written. I swear I'm building up to something. ^_-
> 
> Thanks for sticking with it! Stay safe!


	6. A Rival Pack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel and his new friends leave for Puerto Lobos, running into some trouble on the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the handful of you that are following this tale, I apologize for the delay. Life, work, and my own mind have been a bit unforgiving and I've rewritten this particular chapter so many times I've lost count. I think it might not be the best work, but I was so sick of changing it that I said "screw it" and just went with this last iteration so that I could move on. I hope you like it and that I won't take me as long to get the next chapter on the page!
> 
> Stay well, y'all. <3

The barely-there light of dawn started to hide the stars as the car bumped the threshold from dirt road to asphalt highway. A soft song he couldn’t understand played on the radio while Daniel tried to blink through his early morning haze. His head rested on the backpack, now plump with freshly-laundered secondhand clothes, some toiletries, snacks, and a small toy that Jorge had given to Daniel from his overflowing table of projects. His mind drifted back to that moment as the scenery whipped by them, Jorge clearly not afraid of overusing the gas pedal.

Prior to their departure, Jorge and Anna were hastily loading the car as Daniel stepped aside, still groggy and wanting to avoid getting in the way. Jorge noticed him eyeing the little carvings on his hobby table; little figures he made from old peach pits. More things gathering dust on a monument to forgotten pastimes.

“You like that one? Best not to weigh yourself down with too much junk, but feel free to take what you like!”

“Thanks,” Daniel exclaimed between yawns. “My brother would have loved it. We were the wolf brothers, so it…it fits,” Daniel trailed off. Jorge tousled the boy’s hair as he sidled past to grab a case of bottled water. He didn’t have the heart to tell Daniel that they were supposed to be cats but since they were some of his first whittling attempts, it was easy to make the mistake. “ _If that mess can give the poor boy some measure of joy, it’s worth the cost in pride,”_ Jorge thought to himself. 

That moment was now an hour or so behind them. They had driven through as secluded areas as possible to avoid any notice. Daniel was sandwiched comfortably in the back seat with various items that are meant to furnish and fix up whatever remained of his father’s home in Puerto Lobos, though the general consensus was that there may not even be anything to repair. While the adults thought themselves clever enough to avoid his notice by switching to Spanish, it was becoming less effective. Daniel had a feeling that they were bickering about the futility of packing so much for fear that the trip would be for naught. Anna seemed particularly reticent.

 _“She probably hopes that we’ll get out there, see an empty spot where the house used to be and just come right back,”_ Daniel thought.

This perplexed Daniel. It seemed like they only had his well-being in mind, but he couldn’t help but feel a spark of annoyance that his brother’s plan could be so quickly discounted.

 _Not my plan, enano. You took the wheel on this one, remember? Like, literally._ His words had the inflection of having passed through a warm smile but even so, the comment stung. Sean wasn’t wrong. Daniel ruminated on how the entirety of his current state was of his own making, from beginning to end.

_Not all of it. We both were just doing what we thought we had to do. I tried so hard to do right by you Daniel. I hope you know that. You’ll have to do things you think are right too, even if some say they aren’t._

“I know,” Daniel said in an inaudible breath. He squeezed the backpack in equal parts hug and throttling for a moment as the feeling of shame washed over him and then slowly receded. He raised his head and looked out the window. The sun had quickly risen in the sky and a long stretch of road still loomed ahead but, in the distance, Daniel could see a storefront approaching.

“I think we’re far enough out now that we can get some gas. You’ll want to use the restroom too. We need to avoid stopping as much as possible,” Jorge advised, looking into the rearview to catch Daniel’s eyes.

“Is that a good idea? Won’t people recognize me?” Daniel squirmed a bit. He no longer felt as though his life were in danger, considering the utter destruction at the border. Instead it was replaced by a lingering dread that Jorge and Anna could end up like Sean for helping him. He felt that clearly, he wasn’t all he cracked up to be when it came to protecting others.

_Don’t be so hard on yourself. I thought the same thing, but I managed to help you get this far! These two have been around a while, so they aren’t as helpless as a kid who just hit double digits. Let them take care of themselves. Just watch out for you._

He could almost feel the playful jab of Sean’s elbow in his side as Jorge answered. “We’ve really gone out of our way to avoid busy areas and approach it from the coast. Normally this trip would have taken an afternoon at most! We should be ok so long as we are careful.”

They pulled into the service station and idled up next to a pump. Jorge reached under his seat and pulled out a baseball cap still in a plastic wrap and turned a bit to hand it to Daniel. “Here, I found this for you. I’m pretty sure it’s a knockoff, but I saw that it looked like a toy you had when you first arrived and thought you might like it!”

Daniel took the hat and studied it. It was black with an embroidered patch of Power Bear, standing proudly in a heroic pose. His eyes welled up a bit, but he stopped the tears from flowing. He didn’t notice the hasty stitch job or that the hero’s coloring was a bit off. He didn’t mind that he wasn’t much of a baseball cap person. In that moment, all Daniel could feel was gratitude, followed by guilt. Each kind act felt like a brick pulled from the tower that would collapse around him. Did he deserve their help? Did he even deserve this small gift? He began to wring the hat in his hands nervously.

“Oh, flat-billed probably isn’t how the cool kids wear these, huh? Here let me help!” Jorge gently took the hat from his hands, pretending not to notice Daniel struggling to stay in control of his emotions, and worked the stiff bill into a more subtle curve. Jorge smiled as he flexed the hat into shape and held it up to Daniel as if to demonstrate for next time.

_Enano, that feeling is not going to go away for a long time, but you’re wrong. The only thing you don’t deserve is having to be anywhere but gaming on the PlayBox with Noah or sleeping in your own bed every night. Things will never go back to the way they were, so you’ve got to learn to accept help when you can. Don’t feel guilty. Feel grateful. Maybe you can pass it on some day too. In the meantime, soak up every bit of good that you can._

Jorge finished fashioning the bill and fastened it onto Daniel’s mop of hair, giving it a little wiggle. “There you go! Definitely one of the cool kids.” Daniel smiled letting a rogue tear flow over his cheek. “Thanks, I love it!”

Anna spun around and snapped a picture with her phone, rotating it this way and that as though she were the photographer of a fashion shoot. Daniel started to giggle before turning the hat sideways and making funny faces. She reached back and wiped his face and gave his cheek a pinch. “No more tears, _mijo_.” She twisted back in her seat to say a few words to Jorge before stepping out. Jorge killed the engine and exited the vehicle as well, opening Daniel’s door and giving a grand “right this way” gesture. Daniel hopped out struggling briefly to climb over a pile of last-minute furnishing additions that were stuffed in the back. He considered bringing his bag and thought better of it. _Just a quick pee. I’ll be right back._ Daniel readjusted his hat as Jorge led them behind the car.

“Aside from being effortlessly stylish, this will also be a good way to hide your face a bit; at least until we get you a little closer to your father’s old house, that is. I hope I didn’t upset you with this,” he said, dropping to one knee and tapping his finger on the brim of the new hat. Daniel seemed to be opening up more and more with them, so Jorge felt comfortable trying to discuss the boy’s feelings. “ _Goodness knows the last time he had someone to speak with in earnest about, well, anything really,_ ” he thought.

“Are you okay? You don’t have to wear this thing if you don’t want to. You seemed a little on edge in the car, so I wanted to make sure I didn’t put my foot in my mouth.”

Daniel hesitated, unable to immediately put words to his feelings. “No, I’m good. I swear I’m not this much of a baby” he anxiously laughed as he cleared his cracking voice. Jorge snorted. “Child, if I had to walk a mile in your shoes, I’d have broken down long ago! Don’t feel guilty for your grief. Better to let it out when you can, than hiding it and, well…” Jorge mimicked explosions with his hands. Daniel nodded solemnly. It hurt to be considered a ticking timebomb, but it was a title he had earned several times over. “Take all the time you need to get it out, but be sure to let it out. Don’t hold on to the pain or dwell on it too long. If you do, you’ll never move forward and your story will end the same way no matter where you go.” 

Daniel seemed to consider this before biting his lip and kicking at the gravel. Jorge gave him a moment. “Do you…do you think that I deserve to be punished for the bad things I did?” he asked, unable to meet Jorge’s eyes. The doctor gently took Daniel’s chin and brought Daniel’s gaze to his own. “Hey now. What you did at the border wasn’t a good thing. There’s no dancing around that. But tell me this; looking back at everything that’s happened, did you ever weigh your options between doing something good and something bad? I mean really consider it, knowing the complete consequences? Then after that, did you decide to do the bad thing anyway?” Daniel thought for a moment. Sure, he swore a little bit. He helped Sean steal some food and stuff from that monster outside Seattle. He cheated against his brother at some games. Was that really so bad?

 _Enano, don’t forget. You’ve killed. It started with that cougar that took Mushroom away and ended with those cops at the border. They were like bugs and you crushed each one under your foot without a second thought. And you can do it again any time you feel like it._ Daniel shuddered at this uncomfortably dark revelation. “I…I think I have. I mean, I had some chances to do other things. There were people that hurt my brother…who hurt me. I wanted to kill them. I wanted to make them feel what we felt.” Daniel’s face glowed red with shame and in that moment, he wanted to run. He hadn’t felt so foolish in such a long time.

 _Don’t worry dude. I’m sure you’re not the craziest kid he’s ever treated. I’ll bet he’s helped all sorts of telekinetic supervillains flee the cops._ Daniel smacked his fist against his leg to silence the increasingly unpleasant voice in. It was as if he could hear him sneering.

Jorge’s eyebrow raised slightly, but he said nothing. He gave Daniel’s hand a squeeze. “What you’ve described. That’s anger. That’s pain. A perfectly normal feeling. What’s important now is to express it, and move on. The hurt might not go away for a while, but if you hold onto it it’ll stay for good. You didn’t deserve the hand you were dealt, _mijo¸_ and you don’t deserve to punish yourself for every misstep on the way. Just take it one day at a time, ok?” He gave a hopeful smile that the boy couldn’t help but return, but Daniel’s doubts remained.

Jorge raised back to both feet, his knee giving an alarmingly audible “pop” on the way up as Daniel glanced over his shoulder “I think I’m gonna run and use the bathroom real quick.”

“Sure thing. I’m going to go grab a drink and pay for the fuel, just wait in the car when you’re done,” Jorge called as he lightly jogged to catch up with Anna who held the door for him as they disappeared inside.

Daniel made his way around the building, feeling an overwhelming sense of unease as he entered the restroom. He paused in front of the mirror for a moment, unpleasant memories flooding back with each second that he studied his own tired face. The child shook his head as if doing so would clear his mind and proceeded to an unpleasant length of trough to relieve himself. Thoughts tinged with both excitement and dread crept back in. _What will I do once I get to Puerto Lobos? Do I have any family there? I wonder if I’ll make any friends?_

Daniel finished and turned to wash his hands when he heard a rather loud assortment of voices gathered outside. The door whipped open when a couple of young men entered and stood at the urinal while another leaned against the wall by the door chewing a plastic straw, staring at nothing in particular. Daniel couldn’t understand what they were saying fully but he knew that whatever it was, it was vulgar. It had been a long while since he’d been in school, but he knew the tones and sounds of laughter that young people make when saying things elders would disapprove of. Keeping his head down he started to make his way out when he heard someone speak pointedly in his direction. Even in another language and with his back turned, he could tell someone was addressing him.

Daniel wasn’t a meek child, nor did he have trouble asserting himself. The idea of him keeping quiet and moving along was new for him and in this moment, he felt for the kids from his old school in his old city from his old life. The kids whose best bets were to be quiet, be invisible, and be grateful for a day with no trouble from others. This feeling was punctuated by a shrill declaration clearly meant for him. “ _Me oyes, cabrón?”_

The man leaning against the wall stretched his leg, propping it up across the doorway like a toll and looked at Daniel with a raised eyebrow. “ _Now what are you going to do_ ,” he seemed to ask. Daniel let out a sigh. “ _Lo siento, no hablo español_ ,” he recited. It was one of the few phrases his father taught him whenever he had Spanish speaking friends over and, after a few drinks, they would switch to Esteban’s mother tongue.

Piercing laughter from one of the guys behind him. He turned in time to see one of the boys rolling his eyes and making his way to the sink to give his hands a cursory rinse. This one appeared to be the eldest of the three. “ _Maybe Hannah’s age,”_ Daniel thought. He had a long scar that ran from the top right of his forehead across his face and over his collarbone where it sank beneath the faded black shirt that looked just a little too big for him. He appeared to be the eldest of the three. The other one with the braying laughter was zipping his fly before spitting on the wall with an unnecessary amount of gusto. Daniel tried to hide his visible disgust. “ _Ugh. He’s like if a pig and a donkey had a baby.”_

“Don’t look like a gringo but speaks in ESS-PAN-YOLE like one,” he sneered. He was lean and spindly, wearing an open flannel shirt with the sleeves ripped off. Daniel noticed his chest was covered with a myriad of tattoos, as were his bare arms.

_My baked doodling looks better than that!_

Daniel felt his mouth curve into a slight smile at his brother’s claim. He struggled to keep an insane urge to laugh in the face of this menacing stranger from bubbling up. 

He must not have done as good a job concealing his expression as he had thought. Donkey-Boy, as Daniel began to think of him, was likely around Sean’s age. Even so, Daniel felt his panic mount as the stranger began to glower and close the distance between the two of them. He took a step toward the door and was met by a rough shove that knocked him to the ground. He felt an odd tugging sensation at his temples before his new hat slid free from his disheveled head. Daniel immediately clambered to his feet and began to hop up at Donkey-Boy, reaching for the not even 10-minute old gift that teasingly bobbed just out of reach in a typical schoolyard fashion.

Scarred-Man, with a look of annoyance that seemed as permanent as the discolored slice across his skin, moved to dry his hands at the questionable-looking cloth towel dispenser. As he went to leave, the boy in the doorway jokingly leaned forward with his hand planted firmly on the cold, cracked porcelain and said something that Daniel couldn’t understand. “Where are you going? It’s just getting good,” Door-Boy laughed. The scarred one said nothing, but instead pulled a butterfly knife from his waistband. In a quick flourish with a few snaps of his wrist, he jammed it in the flaking, scaly grout between the boy in the doorway’s fingers. The latter started to snicker, though the gleam of fear in his eyes betrayed breathy staccato noises that functioned as laughter while Scarred-Man stepped outside.

The remaining eyes in the room settled back on Daniel who had ceased jumping as his little chest heaved from fatigue. Donkey-Boy’s hee-hawing cut through Daniel’s nerves like a pick, but it was the greasy teen pivoting to toss the hat into the urinal that caused something inside to snap.

“No!” Daniel screamed. He reached out and the hat seemed to dance on an invisible breeze for a moment before Daniel ran over and clutched it to his chest. _You see? Someone is always going to take these things away from you. Nothing nice comes for free._ The antagonistic Sean in his head left Daniel trembling. The lights started to flicker as the pressure in the room began to fluctuate. Donkey-Boy absentmindedly rubbed his popping ears as he proceeded to yell at the boy who rocked on his heels in something akin to a trance. Daniel’s thoughts gnashed and snarled at one another as he tried to process his current state. _“Why do things always turn out like this? Why are people always so shitty? Why can’t there be one time where something good happens without it all falling apart?”_

Daniel felt a backhanded slap across his face and in that moment, everything went silent as though all the air had been sucked from the room. The thuggish boy with the open shirt full of tattoos, his braying laughter and disgusting face fell back a step as Daniel looked unnervingly up at him. His eyes were fully dilated and black as pitch. His hair seemed to float around the crown of his head.

A circular fissure opened across the wall, tearing through tile, concrete, drywall and glass. The bully was thrown backward into the trough where he landed into a seated position with his ass sitting in two inches of stale piss, but not before his head bounced with a sickening crack off of the wall. With all his tattoos and bravado, the teen looked like a sickly child as his eyes rolled to their whites and he began to convulse and thrash in place.

Daniel turned to the exit and began to walk out as though he had no real sense of urgency. _You’re not the one who should be afraid Enano. Not anymore_. Door-Boy seized Daniel by the arm hard enough to bruise him and yanked, the other hand balled into a closed fist and ready to swing. Daniel didn’t even teeter in his attacker’s grip. Held by some invisible force, he instead raked his hand through the open-air inches in front of the older boy’s face. There was a light tinkling sound as the shards of broken glass and porcelain rose from the dirty floor and launched themselves into Door-Boy’s direction. The glistening shrapnel hit him like a shotgun blast; the look of shocked disbelief on his face proving to be his downfall as the detritus lodged itself in his eyes and sent him sprawling. The shriek of agony that followed cut through Daniel’s rage and made him feel sick. Door-Boy began rocking back and forth with his hands over his face. _“_ Fucking little monster! _Padre nuestro, que estás en el cielo. Santificado sea tu nombre…”_

Daniel was aghast. _“I did this. I did it again.”_ He crouched to help but froze in terror when he saw the damage he had caused. The other boy’s face was pock-marked with flecks of porcelain. Worse still were his eyes as they cried a macabre mix of tears and viscera. Daniel could see his own reflection in the shard that jutted from the injured boy’s left socket. The right was replaced by a small chunk of concrete that jiggled obscenely in what remained of his eye. The color drained from Daniel’s face and he managed to stumble outside before throwing up on the dusty walk leading to the fueling area. A small crowd of young people were rushing over from a short distance away, likely having heard the other of their group wailing just past the door. They were a motley mix of young adults and teenagers that, despite the looks of genuine concern on their faces, appeared as menacing as the ones Daniel left inside.

He turned to head for the car but was yanked back, gagging again as the collar of his shirt dug into his already pained throat. His mind began to swim as the cacophony of voices around him grew more intense. He tried to look around in a panicked daze, unable to free himself from the grip or even see the one who had him held in place. A few shouts from inside the restroom drew in two more of the group who emerged a few moments later with the wounded boy propped up between them. His anguished moans between bits of prayer seemed to make the one clutching the back of Daniel’s shirt pull even tighter. The noises, the pain, and the nausea had Daniel’s mind swirling. _You could make this whole place a fucking crater. You’ve done it before. The brother I know could rip their hearts out, just like that bitch cop._

“Stop it,” Daniel muttered, on the verge of tears. _Stop what? This is your head, Enano. If you don’t like what he’s saying, shut him up._ Daniel’s head cleared momentarily as the more benign of the two voices in his head granted him a reprieve, though it only made the shouts from those surrounding him more pronounced. “Stop what, _pendejo_? What the fuck happened in there?” said the one with the firm grasp on his shirt.

“Nothing! They started to mess with me so I tried to leave and…him! Just ask him! I didn’t do anything!” Daniels eyes went wide and he pointed to the member of their group who had previously stepped out. Scarred-Man’s eyebrow raised slightly and the corner of his lip twitched into something resembling a grin. He spoke to Daniel’s interrogator in hushed Spanish. That was the last thing Daniel saw before he felt a fist in his belly and fell to his knees, gasping for air. The man lashed out with his foot and kicked Daniel over before crouching down and grabbing the boy’s face in his palm. “Start with the truth boy. It doesn’t hurt as much.”

The others of the grouped chuckled menacingly like stereotypical villains, but Daniel hardly noticed. _“Is this actually happening right now? What the fuck is wrong with these people,”_ Daniel lamented internally. The sand around him started to swirl, despite their being no breeze as he struggled to turn over and look at his attacker. This was his only way out. He clenched his teeth and felt the pressure build as he raised his unsteady hand at the.

“DANIEL, NO!” came a voice in the distance. He could hardly focus and it took him a moment to place the voice as Anna ran into view. Her gait was slightly off, but her speed was alarming as she rushed over to Daniel and slid to her knees. She grabbed the boy’s hand and brought it to her chest and clutched it there, rocking him gently. “It’s alright, _mijo._ I’ve got you. We’ll get you out of here.” She started to help him to his feet but he was summarily dropped back down as there was a tussle. Daniel’s vision became cloudy as things turned grey and his eyes fluttered before staying closed.

In that commotion, Daniel missed seeing the thug going to shove Anna. He missed seeing her pivot her shoulder so that his blow missed before her palm flew up into the man’s nose. He wasn’t awake to see the blood spray from his face and speckle the dusty ground, nor to hear the string of illegible foreign profanities flow from the man’s lips. The screaming, the small group running up to Anna as she scooped Daniel up in her lean but strong arms, the blast as Jorge fired a warning shot into the air from a gun he hadn’t announced he was carrying; all of this went unnoticed to Daniel as he bobbed in Anna’s arms while they fled back to the car and sped off.

_What Daniel did see was the campfire whose radiance was lost in a sea of black. He was back at the banks of the Nisqually River. Sticks and twigs that had been artfully arranged into “traps” were lying on their sides, stupid and forgotten. A stone slab above him, a dirt ground below him, and two wolves on the other side of the campfire, switching their tails and looking at him, intently._

The remaining Diaz boy stirred as he lay in the back seat, his head propped on Anna’s lap. She gently shushed him and dabbed at his bleeding nose as Jorge continued to look back into his rearview mirror. His eyes paused on poor Daniel, still clinging to the hat he had given him. His pity turned to a baleful dread as his gaze rose to the horizon, expecting whatever gang that was to creep into view. They finally flicked to Anna who had removed her blouse to wrap an icepack for Daniel. The tank top she wore underneath was modest enough, but it did little to cover the tattoos that rose above the hem.

“Old friends of yours?” Jorge asked with an edge to his voice he did not intend. Anna sighed. “They’ll be trouble. Daniel needs to go further south. Puerto Lobos is too close and they’ll probably run into each other again. Someone won’t walk away from their next encounter.” She looked back down at the boy and stroked his hair as the car raced down the highway and past a derelict sign indicating the coastal route to their final destination.


End file.
